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2025 SUMMER FESTIVAL You don't want to miss this event! Information and Schedule Date: May 31, 2025 Emmaus Community Park 1356 Shimerville Rd, Emmaus, PA 18049 10 am til 8 pm Event Sponsors: Jaindl Turkey farms Includes:
AMAZING ENTERTAINMENT 10am-noon: Cat Country Radio, WLEV, 99.9 1:00-3:00 Scott Marshall and The Highway Souls  3:30-5:30: Flirting with the Mob  6 pm-8pm Craig Thatcher Band sponsored by Jaindl Turkey Farm   |
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2024 FIRST PRESIDENT WELCOME Picture the smile on a hungry child’s face in the East Penn area when they receive a bag of food provided by the Emmaus Rotary Club. Picture a family in Zambia asking an Emmaus Rotarian to make the magic happen again after receiving a dental exam and being able to eat again. How about a child opening a reply to their letter to Santa written by an Emmaus Rotarian? This is why I’m a Rotarian. I want to help my local community and support Rotary in accomplishing its mission around the world. If this sounds good to you, please consider joining the Rotary journey. Eric Loch, President Emmaus Rotary Club, 2024-2025, Serving the East Penn area. |
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Next "Night Shift" Meeting 1/17/2024 NEXT NIGHT SHIFT ON October 16 2024
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An Update from ShelterBox
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Presidents MessageMany thanks to my Emmaus Rotary friends To say that it is an honor to be your new President is an understatement. I am humbled by this opportunity and I am very grateful to the many people who allowed me to be here and encouraged me to be here. I promise not to let you down. However I will not promise that I won’t make mistakes though. “Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow.” - Mary Tyler Moore I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge and say thank you to Meghan Reed for her support and guidance during the past three years. It has been a pleasure working beside her. No one shined brighter than you Meghan. I look forward to the this coming year. I will detail my goals more in the next few weeks but in a nutshell I always felt that Rotary was a very welcoming organization, open to new ideas and new adventures. Like any other volunteer organization, we all want to be a part of something that is for the better good and helping others who are not so fortunate as we are. We often find ourselves filling a void in our community so that it becomes a better place for everyone. But why do we do this? We could easily just sit at home and do nothing. We could easily just hand over a cash contribution each year and walk away. What incentive do we have to be an active Rotarian? What drives us to do the things we do? I have many suggestions as to the potential answer to this question and I am sure that each of your reading this have your own unique answer. But I believe that one common ingredient in those answers is that we all must enjoy what we are doing. Work can be a form of enjoyment if we approach it the right way. A labor of love if you wish. In other words, lets have some fun providing service above self. My motto this year is, If you didn’t have fun, you didn’t show up. I look forward to the next 12 months and I hope that you will all join me in the adventure as it wouldn’t be any fun if you all were not involved. I wouldn’t be here if it were not for you all. Yours in Service. Sal Verrastro President Emmaus Rotary.2023-2024
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Look How Easy This Is!Hi Friends! Over the last year you have probably heard me go on and on about using our handy dandy ClubRunner tools to help keep ERC organized. I'm sure I didn't annoy anyone right?? I'm sure all of my enthusiastic suggestions were well received right??? Well....I'm at it again. I'm testing the waters on using the Volunteer Sign-Up feature that ClubRunner offers so that we can help make our Community Service Chair, Karen Hobson's life a little easier! SOOOOO let's give a shot shall we.... Past District Gov. Bob Hobaugh has asked for a helping hand from ERC Volunteers at Das Awkscht Fescht! What a fantastic way for Emmaus Rotary to get involved with a community tradition, meet lots of folks and show people how fun Rotary is! This is a BIG project for us to be a part of so let's show Bob how ERC comes through! Here are three places you can sign up to volunteer! First....just click this link and choose a shift : Das Awkscht Fescht Volunteer Shifts | Rotary Club of Emmaus (emmausrotary.org) (If you would like more information about what volunteer jobs entail click the blue box under the event location information. It will take you to the full event listing) Second....visit the event listing on our website calendar. Here is the link so it's handy: EMMAUS ROTARY DAS AWKSCHT FESCHT VOLUNTEER | Rotary Club of Emmaus. There is a blue box on the left side of the screen where you can register. When you click that box, it takes you to the sign-up page. Third....We aren't doing away with old school methods....you can always sign up in person with Karen at a meeting. Need help? Just ask! I'm always happy to help you! Shine Bright! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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The Passing of a Friend to ManyDear Friends, I sadly learned of the passing of Rotarian Thomas Devine over the weekend. Tom joined Rotary in 1998 and served with our Club as an Active and Honorary Rotarian for 25 years. Many long-time members of Emmaus Rotary are sure to have lots of fond memories of Tom and his Wife Rosenia Devine. While I never had the opportunity to meet Tom in person, he and I did enjoy sending emails and the occasional phone chat. That's the special thing about our Rotary Family; even though we never met in person we shared a bond. Tom was always very encouraging and kind to me in my leadership roles. Over the years I have heard many members share messages and updates from Tom at Club meeting. This always made it clear to me that Tom was a tremendous Person who our members hold in high regard and have missed his since his health prevented him from attending Rotary Functions. My sincere condolences and sympathy go out to Rosenia and the Devine Family, and to each of you who have lost a Friend. We have said goodbye to some really great Rotary Friends over the last few years. Let us keep our Rotary Family in our hearts and speak of them often so that their memory and legacy lives on. A few months ago, I remember Jeff McElhaney sharing a message from Tom. He mentioned that "My Way" by Frank Sinatra was one of his favorite songs. In honor of Thomas Devine...give it a listen and know he's with you. My Way (2008 Remastered) - YouTube "I've lived a life that's full I travelled each and every highway And more, much more than this I did it my way" Frank Sinatra I have spoken with Rosenia and let her know that ERC is here for her. When I learn more about services for Tom, I will be sure to share them with you. They will likely be later in June. If you'd like to send your thoughts to Rosenia Devine you can send a card to: 6622 Blue Heather Court Macungie, PA 18062 Shine Bright Friends, Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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Fellowship Fun! MegaMillions! This Week!This week's Rotary meeting will be all about Fellowship Fun and Cashing in your MegaMillions! We've collected an assortment of festive items you can spend your well-earned millions on, and the Fellowship Committee will have some games for us to play! This will be your last chance to spend your MegaMillions.....our next President Sal will have his own millions to give out next Rotary Year. (Sal knows a guy who prints money in the basement. It's good to know a guy...) If you can't make the meeting, try to give your millions to a friend in advance because they will expire! I'm looking forward to what shenanigans the Fellowship committee has in store for us! With Jean and Ceil at the helm it is sure to be a good time! Just for silliness and extra MegaMillions earning opportunity you may want to remember that June 8th is: National Upsy Daisy Day - NATIONAL UPSY DAISY DAY - June 8, 2023 - National Today and National Best Friend Day! - National Best Friends Day (nationaltoday.com) - (5 EXTRA millions will be awarded to anyone who brings their Best Friend on Thursday!) Shine Brigt Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23  |
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Celebrate Flag Day! 6/14/23PLEASE JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE ANNUAL FLAG DAY CELEBRATION AT EMMAUS COMMUNITY PARK AT THE ARTS PAVILIION, JUNE 14, 2023 6:00 PM, EMMAUS COMMUNITY PARK1330 CHESTNUT STREET, EMMAUS, PA 18042.Emmaus Flag Day Celebration 2023.June 14, 2023 at 6:00 PM. Emmaus residents, friends, local veterans, scout troops, and area dignitaries are invited to gather on Wednesday, June 14th at 6:00 PM for the annual Flag Day Program. The Emmaus Rotary sponsors the event held at Community Park in the Arts Pavilion. East Penn area students in 5th and 8th grade will read their winning poetry and essays about WHAT THE AMERICAN FLAG MEANS TO ME. Our guest speaker for the program is Ariel Scholz, an Army veteran with 4 years of active duty service as a member of the 76th Army Band, stationed in Mannheim, Germany. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 14th at 6:00 PM. Refreshments will be served courtesy of Vienna Lodge 847 International Order of Odd Fellows and Ai Orthodontics. Now is time to renew for 2023. The price is the same as last year, only $49.00 for the year. This will include having our great Flag put on your property 6 times this year starting with Memorial Day. I will be set up to take payments this week at Rotary. I can take credit cards or your check. The renewal process is easy, all you need to do is click on this link http://Flags.EmmausRotary.org Thank you so much for renewing and it would be great if your neighbor on each side of you joined the program also. The Flag Committee 🇺🇸 For additional details please reach out to Eric Loch, DiamondMan@LochsJewelers.com
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EHS InteractThe Emmaus High School Interact Club held its last meeting of the year on Monday, May15th from 2:30-3:30 in the EHS Cafeteria. They invited ERC to work on Mid-Term survival bags, enjoy the Kona Ice Truck, and celebrate the accomplishments of the Club, especially our Seniors. Sal Verrastro and Tony Moyer thanked and recognized the Interact Officers and Advisor, Amy Kaunitz on a fantastic year. I am so proud of the relationship we have built with EHS interact Club over the last year. Tony and I had a goal to connect and collaborate more with Interact. Together with Mr. Kaunitz and Interact Leadership we focused on strong communication and saw a big increase in engagement between the Clubs. Here is list of the amazing things the EHS Interact Club accomplished this year! Service Hours Over 700 volunteer hours this year! This includes helping at many ERC activities. Service Projects Soda Tabs to benefit Ronald McDonald House Toothpaste collection for EHS Angel Network EHS Campus Cleanup Operation Giggles - toys and crafts for children at Lehigh Valley Hospital Troops Collection Veterans Day Letter Writing - Over 3000 letters were sent to troops overseas Halloween Bags Miracle League Baseball and Trick or Treat Santa Letters Egg filling for Kalmbach Park Stress relief bags for finals Fundraising Branch Bday $116 to The ESPD Therapy Dog Program Branch Towel Collection and donation to The Sanctuary at Haafsville Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza Angel Network Fundraiser Phantoms Game Fundraiser - $1242.50 for the EHS Angel Network |
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Rotary at Work!One of my goals as President this year was to work with The Wildlands Conservancy to implement a project focused on environmental service. After many meetings and assessments, we found a really great project to participate in with the new Black River Sanctuary land preservation. I couldn’t be prouder of the work that Emmaus Rotary Club and The Rotary Club of Allentown teamed up to accomplish together with this joint District 7430 Grant. ERC, ARC and Wildlands made a great team. Many thanks to all who came out to help plant and install deer protection. You've help create a special place. When you set your mind to something...big things happen! Be the good in the world! Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022-23        |
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Spring into Action!Hello Emmaus Rotary Friends! The weather is warming up and we have a ton of ways to get outside and spring into action with service projects! Various organizations have reached out to ERC seeking a helping hand and we hope that you will answer the call! Grab your family and invite a friend to roll up your sleeves and enjoy some sunshine while you make a difference. You can find just about everything happening in ERC on our website calendar where you can sign up to serve. Using our online sign-up option will help our Community Service Committee communicate with you about volunteer details and developments more efficiently. (But no worries if you would prefer to rsvp directly to Karen Hobson you may always do so at a meeting, email or phone call. We just want you there!) Below is an at a glance look at glance look at what we have scheduled for the balance of May 2023. (links should be live on the grid to take you to the sign-up pages) If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact Karen Hobson at 484-560-1711. Being a part a part of even one small project makes a world of difference to someone. I hope you will find an activity that sparks something in you! Shine Bright Friends, Meghan Reed President Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23
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Pottsville Train Excursion PostponedHello ERC Members, Last week the Centennial Committee and Board of Directors made the decision to postpone the upcoming Pottsville Train Excursion scheduled for 5/20/23. A small group of Rotarians, including myself had a very positive meeting with The Reading & Northern Railroad Company. They very graciously understood our position and agreed to allow us to postpone AND will refund our $1,000 deposit. A very good outcome! By making the trip and having a transparent conversation we strengthened our relationship with the company and found ourselves collaborating on ways to improve the concept of the excursion. We now have a very broad timeline to postpone and when the date is schedule, we will start fresh with a new letter of intent and contract to move forward. We assured the group that we are still very enthusiastic about holding a ride and that ERC Leadership is very much on board to make this a successful event for our Centennial Celebration line up. Moving forward Roger Whitcomb and his Centennial Celebration Committee, including Wade, Cindy and I will work out the details to bring forth a new plan to the Board. When a new plan is decided on, we will be sure that Wade (as excursion Chair) will have the support of a committee to make our next opportunity a BIG success. I'd like to sincerely thank Wade for all of his work thus far on building this event through is expertise and helpful contacts. And I very much appreciate Cindy, Roger and Wade for taking the time to make this very important meeting happen. It made a world of difference, and we were a great team. Many thanks to the Board for your thoughtful discussion at our last meeting. Onward and Upward! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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New Member Induction This Week!Great news! We are inducting 9 new members at this week's meeting! Please try to attend so that you can meet our newest members and give an ERC welcome! Thank you to our Membership Committee for your efforts this year in reaching new members and re-engaging current membership. I am very much looking forward to the Induction Committee's Program this week! Do you know someone who would make a great Rotarian and has shown interest in joining our Club? Use this helpful referral link to get the ball rolling! Refer a Member | Rotary Club of Emmaus (emmausrotary.org)  |
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A Full Weekend!Wow! What a weekend for Rotary!! We had a great day on Sunday at the 3rd Annual Bags & Beer Cornhole Tournament! Many thanks to our Commitee, Courtney Kennedy (Chair), Sal Verrastro, Steve Gould, Don Blose, Sam Kennedy and Andy Kipila who put together a very well-organized tournament to help raise money for our food packing program. Returning Champs from last year, Team Green Speckles defended their title and won again! We saw a lot of new faces at the event too! Cheers to a job well done! THANK YOU! Some Rotarians attended the District 7430 Conference in Atlantic City this weekend! Thanks to Cindy and Chris Hornaman, Nelly and Peter Kabiru, Roger and Roberta Whitcomb, Dee Eng and Gary Rohrbach for representing ERC! You all looked marvelous! And Nelly was a star panelist on stage during a discussion on membership. Way to go Nelly!   |
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People of Action!Hello Friends! There has been a flurry of activity in our Club over the past month or so. Many Thanks to all who have joined in the multitude of service projects on the calendar. While I may not know exactly who was where and when; I do know that by you showing up, you've made a difference. I want you to know that you are appreciated and valued by ERC and the organizations you've rolled up your sleeves to help. THANK YOU. I hope that you find the service projects we get involved in fun and engaging. It has been great to see some Friends that we do not always get to see on a weekly basis at meetings coming out for these activities. If you haven't been able to make a meeting in a while, I really encourage you to have some fun volunteering again. These experiences are at the heart of the friendships we make and are some of the best memories have together. I had such a great time at the Lower Macungie Community Day this week. It has become a tradition for me volunteer at this event. Every year it gets better and better! It also gives me the opportunity to hang out with my Rotary Friends. Irv Keister and I even went on an adventure to check out some goats! You guys know I LOVE goats but the best part of the was catching up with my buddy Irv. This year we participated by hosting two games for the kiddos to enjoy. Karen Hobson has done a tremendous job with creating games that kids of all ages can participate in. The ducky fishing game and frog flinger were huge hits. I'm still smiling from ear to ear thinking of all the celebratory giggles from hooking a rubber duck and all the ingenious ways some of the kids caught them. It was just wholesome and nice. Some days you need a dose of that. Thank you, Karen Hobson, John Chisca, Eric Loch, Diane Grahm, Irv Keister, and Eileen Prokop for all of you help and for making some nice memories with me.      |
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WEAR YOUR PAUL HARRIS MEDALLION/PIN THIS WEEK!This is going to be Wonderful!!! This week we will celebrate Members receiving their first Paul Harris medal. Our Club is a huge supporter of the Paul Harris awards which are given to Members who donate $1000.00 to the Foundation. Bill Erdman will give everyone more information on Wednesday about this prestigious award. All current Paul Harris recipients should proudly wear their Paul Harris medallion and pin.  |
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Would you like to help and EHS Interact Project?Hello Friends! I received an email from a very passionate Interact Student who has put together a really nice service project to bring some smiles to children going through a scary time! Interact Students will be collecting toys at Emmaus High School during all lunch periods this week. Interact President, Emma and Project Chair Lorelei reached out to see if ERC would like to participate. It brings a smile to my face to see this enthusiasm and thoughtfulness to include us! If you'd like to donate a toy to Operations Giggles, please bring it to our meeting on Thursday, April 27th. Please see the image below with a list of toys they are seeking. Thank you for spreading happiness to these little patients! Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23  |
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The Spirit of RotaryHappy Birthday Paul Harris!The Spirit of Rotary Lives in Each of Us!  As we remember Paul Harris, (founder of Rotary) on his Birthday, imagine what he would think of Rotary today. I imagine he would look at what he started over 100 years ago and be proud of what Rotary has become and all the accomplishments Rotarians have achieved together through the simple concept of Service Above Self. I recently watched a video about the history of Rotary and one segment stuck with me. I can't remember the quote exactly, but the idea is this: I joined Rotary on (fill in the blank)....But I became a Rotarian when (the lightbulb moment when you realize what Rotary means to you). I ask you to take a moment to think on this. It is going to be different for everyone. Have you had your aha moment yet? If so, what was it? When did it click? What made you feel a part of something bigger? What made you feel like YOU made the difference? What inspired you TO make the difference? What friendship sparked a change in you? If you feel compelled to share, I'd love to hear your story. Tell us at our next meeting during Happy Dollars or email or call me. I'm all ears! I know this has been a common theme throughout my term, but I feel strongly about the enthusiasm behind our purpose in Rotary. So, I will keep encouraging us to look inward to put our best foot forward. With that being said! I need us ALL to take a bit of action RIGHT NOW. We have two major fundraising events upon us, and we need to spread the word and get more people involved.
Both events are going to be a ton of fun! I certainly don't expect everyone to attend everything! BUT I'd like to ask that you join in if you can, invite some friends to come with you, SHARE the events with your network, hang up a few posters in the break room or around town. (Think grocery store, bank, library). Its crunch time. This is when we really shine! If we all pitch in, we can make these two events huge successes. Let's make Paul Harris proud! Shine Bright Friends!
Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/2023 |
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The Ralph E. Lewis Food CollectionRotarians in action@ First Presbyterian Church unloading the pallets of food ready for tomorrow packing to distribute to the schools in our community,Eric,Don,Cindi and John hands on and am sure they dont mind more hands.If you can help pack food bags pls call Cindi @6103604875. |
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Night Shift Was a HitHello ERC Friends! I wanted to share with the Club that our first "Night Shift" meeting concept was well received and a whole lot of fun! We had nearly 40 people in attendance!
I'd like to thank everyone in ERC who believed in this concept and supported it taking shape. A huge thank you to Peter McCullough for stepping up to lead these monthly meetings as a sort of project manager. I know Peter is going to do a phenomenal job! Thank you to the Membership Committee for all your behind-the-scenes work! Thank you to Ron Beitler (our newest Rotarian) for hosting us at Rising River. The space really works well for us! The future looks bright for these meetings! We are scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7:30pm at Rising River. And just to make sure we are all on the same page...these meetings are simply and additional meeting option to give everyone more opportunity to be involved in Rotary. This is not a separate group of people - this is ALL ERC! Night Shift is just another way to participate in an alternative meeting format. These meetings will typically not have a speaker/program....instead we will use the meeting time to create, plan, and implement projects. I can also tell you that we will absolutely keep traditions like happy dollars, Club news/announcements, EREY, ringing the rotary bell, the Four Way Test and maybe even a song here and there! I invite you to check out the next Night Shift on Wednesday April 19th at 5:30pm at Rising River. Please use the link RSVP so we can have an idea for seating. Shine Bright Friends, Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary 2022/23 |
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What's Going on With ShelterBoxHello Emmaus Rotarians! As you travel your path in Rotary service some initiatives just resonate with you. ShelterBox has been a part of Rotary that I think is incredible; and as my roles change in ERC I can envision myself getting more involved in this sort of work. BUT ONE STEP AT A TIME! (don't get any ideas Cindy!) First things first get to the finish line of the honor of serving ERC as President. Then regroup, recharge, and find a meaningful way to take action! For now I'd like to share with you the good work that Shelterbox is doing around the world. Maybe you will find yourself inspired to get involved too. Below is the regular newsletter I get from Shelterbox. Simply Click the Read More tab in the bottom corner of this article to read all about it! Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23  |
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2023-2024 Board Of Director FINAL BallotTo all Emmaus Rotarians ERC Board of Directors for 2023 2024 Attached you will find the Ballot for the 2023 2024 vote for the Emmaus Rotary Board of Directors effective July 1, 2023 Ballots must be received by the Secretary before midnight April 8, 2023. YOU WILL VOTE FOR FOUR NAMES ON YOUR BALLOT
These are the methods to cast your ballot – choose only one:
The four Board of Directors selected will go out by email to the Club soon after the votes are tallied. Thank you, Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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Third Annual Emmaus Rotary Cornhole TournamentCan you believe that our Third Annual Emmaus Rotary Cornhole Tournament is THIS SUNDAY May 7, 2023, from 1-5pm hosted at Gio Italian Grill. There is still time for you to sign up as a team to play in the Tournament or just come for the food, drinks and fellowship! Either way it will be a good time for a good cause. This fundraiser helps us support Community Projects like the Feed East Penn Student's Food Packing Program. Use is the link to sign up! MyEventRunner - Event Public Fill (crsadmin.com) MANY thanks to our official Beer Sponsor McCall Collective Brewing Company for supporting Emmaus Rotary again this year! It is connections with our local businesses that help make this event possible.  |
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Sunny with a 100% Chance of Planting!
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Ever Since Women Joined RotaryMarch is Women's History Month. When we look at Rotary today it is hard to believe that in the United States, women were not permitted to join a Rotary Club until 1987. It wasn't until 1989 when the RI Council of Legislation voted to change the RI Constitution and make women eligible for membership around the world. The men of Rotary had spoken...times had changed since 1905...it was time to change too! By June 1990, the number of female Rotarians reached over 20,000. We wanted IN! As of July 2020, the number of female Rotarians surpassed 277,000 accounting for 23% of worldwide membership. Looking at Emmaus Rotary Club today 31% of our Club Membership is female as we approach our 100th Anniversary in just a few years. I understand that it is an honor and a privilege to serve as a President of Emmaus Rotary regardless of being a woman, but it is also not lost on me that allllll this Rotary History happened within my lifetime. So, I feel even more happy to be here! Ever since women joined Rotary 34 years ago, the organization really became limitless in what it could accomplish! Ever since women joined Rotary, TOGETHER Men and Women from all over the world have grown Rotary and charted a new course for ALL changemakers under our 7 Areas of Focus. If you want to learn about the history of Women in Rotary, I encourage you to please visit this link on Rortary.org Women in Rotary | Rotary International while you scroll, please watch the video on the webpage. You will feel all the feels! I would love to know what you think! I want to take a moment and Thank Alicia Ruiz-Orbin, (one of my Rotary Heroines) for organizing the 2023 Emmaus Rotary International Women's Day Celebration. This has become an excellent tradition for our Club and our District. Many thanks to Committee Members David Dunn, Dee Eng, Mark Erle, and Courtney Kennedy. Hats off to Val Deneen and Rory King for nominating two very deserving Women in our Community. Kassie Hilgert Director of Arts Quest and Kristin Pedemonti Founder of Steer Your Story. Both are incredible ladies making their own history! What an inspiring morning for everyone in attendance. A proud day for ERC! Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23  From left to right: District 7430 Governor Len Giesler, Awardee Kristin Pedimonti, Awardee, Kassie Hilgert, IWD Committee Chair Alicia Ruiz-Orbin, ERC President Meghan Reed, District Governor Elect Diane Donaher. |
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Wear Your Purple on 3/9/23!This week Emmaus Rotary celebrates International Women's Day! Alicia Ruiz-Orbin and her Committee have put together another fantastic program to recognize Women in Rotary and celebrate the achievements of Women making a difference in the Community. You will leave feeling inspired and learn a bit of the history behind IWD and Women who have influenced Rotary International. This is the perfect program to invite a guest to! Last year I had the opportunity to share this special day with 3 of my dear girlfriends and share with them what the heck this Rotary thing is that I talk about all the time! So, call up your bestie and ask them to join you on Thursday! To make the day even more fun and bring us all together in celebration I encourage you to wear PURPLE on Thursday! Why....Because Purple is the color of International Women's Day! Purple, green and white are the colors of International Women's Day. The colors originated from the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908.
Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23  ERC IWD Celebration 2022 |
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STEM YEA!There's still time to purchase tickets and empower the next generation of problem solvers & change makers. |
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Calling all ERC Events and Committee Chairs!Committee Chairs! Planning session scheduled for Tuesday, February 28th, 2023. 5:30pm – 7:00pm 191 Main Street, Emmaus - Conference Room VERY IMPORTANT YOU ATTEND! Hello ERC Events and Committee Chairs! Thank you for you continued leadership in Emmaus Rotary. We are having a really productive year and I hope that you are finding joy in your service to the Club and the community. You are the heartbeat of ERC and I appreciate each of you very much! Sal and I are holding a meeting to plan out the ERC Calendar of Events including Community Service on 2023/2024 Rotary Year as Sal prepares for his upcoming term as President. Please email Meghan with your expected attendance. MeghanReed517@gmail.com. There will be snacks and drinks!!  Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary 2022/23 |
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Rotary Direct Foundation Giving
Dear Rotarians, |
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New opportunities for Rotary to support communities in need
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An Evening Meeting Opportunity!An Evening Meeting Opportunity For Emmaus Rotary Club - "The Night Shift" Launching Wednesday, March 29th. 6-8pm, at Rising River Brewing in Lower Macungie 1955 Willow Lane Macungie, PA 18062 Doors open 6pm. Meeting begins 6:30pm. Meeting to end by 8pm. The plan: On March 29th we invite people interested in learning about what Rotary is and what Emmaus Rotary does to make a difference in the East Penn and Lehigh Valley area. Learn more now at EmmausRotary.org The idea: Re-engage current members, attract new members and connect with/involve local Community Leaders in project-based planning/activities and enjoy fellowship. We are going to create a productive meeting environment: not just a happy hour. This meeting options will be offered as a Once-a-Month ADDITIONAL meeting opportunity for ERC. Future Dates TBA. Mornings are not for everyone due to work/school/life schedules. (AND DON'T FRET! Weekly Thursday Morning meetings aren't stopping! We like bacon and eggs too much!) The Cost: We ask that Rotarians make a $10 Cash Contribution to their Every Rotarian Every Year Rotary International Fund. First time guests are free. Food and Drink: Food and Drinks are available for purchase. So that we can get an idea of how many people will attend our first meeting please RSVP using this event page. Emmaus Rotary "Night Shift" Monthly Meetings! | Rotary Club of Emmaus Please also share this with your friends!   |
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A New Way to Grow! |
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Shelter Box is Responding to Turkey Earthquake Disaster Dear Rotarians Another terrible disaster has struck this time in Turkey affecting thousands of people and many Rotarians. ShelterBox is launching an emergency fundraising appeal. Your support will contribute to our Turkey and Syria Earthquakes response as part of our general fund. We believe that the best way for us to be impactful is by staying flexible, and it is essential that we have funds available to support those affected by disasters around the world. ShelterBox provides different combinations of emergency shelter and essential household items depending on what is needed. This could be tents and shelter kits, stoves, thermal blankets, and clothing to keep people warm through the freezing winter nights. It could be cash to help people buy what they need to survive. Or it could solar lights that help people when there is no electricity. Club and district support is desperately needed so we can reach survivors in the aftermath of this disaster.
If you have further questions or would like more information, please reach out to me. Yours in Rotary Service Len Gieseler District Governor 2022-2023 District 7430 Pottstown Rotary Club 1445 Shaner Dr. Pottstown, PA 19465 W: 610-323-2201 |
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District Conference 2023!Our District 7430 Conference for 2023 is on the horizon and we're planning a great event for everyone. The location is the big feature for this event - The Atlantic City Tropicana! The dates are May 5 - 7, 2023.  We're sure you have questions about our conference so check out key items of interest below. We hope to see you there!  |
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Build Your Skills. Boost Your Potential!Hello ERC Friends! I wanted to share this valuable resource available to Rotarians. Being a member of Rotary offers many benefits that we often don't think about such as; building our professional skills and growing as community leaders. I encourage you to take a look at this program offering through the Rotary Learning Center. I've already signed up! I hope many ERC members find it helpful in your pursuit of learning about your leadership styles and personal goals. If you do decide to take advantage of this program, please let me know. I'd love to connect with you as we take the course. Shine Bright! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 
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Four Way Test Speech Contest!Hello Emmaus Rotary Friends! You're invited to The Emmaus Rotary Four Way Test Speech Contest to be held on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 from 5:30-7:00pm at Willow Lane Elementary School. Emmaus Rotary is also seeking 4-5 volunteers to help with judging and running the speech contest. If interested, please contact Dr. Tony Moyer at anmoyer@eastpennsd.org The 4-Way Test Of the things we think, say, or do: This Speech Contest allows young minds to take a topic they are passionate about and apply it to the Rotary Four Way Test in a compelling speech format. The winning contestant from the Local level moves forward to Regionals and then to Districts. The winner of District Level will win $1000! There will be pizza and refreshments provided! (Many thanks to Rotarian Mike Lahanas/Embassy Bank) So that we can have an idea of how many people plan to attend. Please take a moment to RSVP here. Just click on the online registration buttons on the left of window. You can also use your ClubRunner app on your phone. FOR ERC MEMBERS: This will replace the weekly morning meeting on March 2nd and be a great time for Rotarians to meet the students. There will not be a morning mtg. on March 2nd. |
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Speaker this WEEK |
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Fellowship Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023The Emmaus Rotary Club Fellowship Committee invites you to join us for the annual Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper. Family and Friends Welcome!  Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 Between 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hosted at Superior Restaurant 102 State Rd. And Main St. Emmaus, PA 18049 All you can Eat! Only $8.00/Adult (kids under 10 free!) CASH ONLY at the door. ***please RSVP to Ceil Birdsell by emailing birdscec@gmail so we can provide a rough head count to the restaurant*** Buffet style menu includes pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit bowl, tea and coffee.
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WHATS HAPPENING THIS WEEK!Important things to know this week!
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Trivia Facts TRIVIA FACTS . 1) Worldwide polio cases have decreased an astounding 99% since 1988 due to Rotary’s PolioPlus participation in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Rotarians have vowed not to stop until polio is wiped from the earth to prevent this deadly disease from ever making a comeback. 2) $1.5 billion could be saved annually around the world if polio were eradicated. This money could be applied to other public health priorities, and the savings in human suffering is immeasurable. 3) More than $650 million have been contributed by Rotary members to PolioPlus. 4) The Gates & Buffett Foundation offered to donate $355 million to PolioPlus for polio immunization campaigns in developing countries if Rotarians contributed an additional $200 million by June 2012. Success is imminent as $160 million had already been raised by December 2010. 5) 9,000 secondary-school students annually experience life in another country through the Rotary Youth Exchange. 6) How big is Rotary International? 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world initiate service projects to address today’s challenges, including literacy, disease, hunger, poverty, lack of clean water, and environmental concerns. The clubs get to work immediately whenever a crisis strikes; at this very moment Rotarians are busy in the earthquake regions of New Zealand and Japan. 7) 1.2 million business, professional, and community leaders make up the Rotary global network of community volunteers who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards, and help build goodwill and peace in the world numbers. 8) The organization that holds the highest consultative status given by the United Nations to nongovernmental organizations is Rotary International. 9) The first Rotary club meeting was held in Chicago on February 23, 1905. Five years later in 1910 Canada welcomed its first Rotary club to Winnipeg. 10) The furthest a Rotary Club banner has ever traveled: In 1968 astronaut Frank Borman, member of the Houston Space Center Rotary club, carried a banner on the Apollo 8 flight to the moon! For more information about Rotary International please visit the website http://www.rotary.org/ I welcome your questions send them to me I will search
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Membership MinuteA Note From Wade George, Co-Chair of Membership Committee: About a year and a half ago, during a random meeting, I passed out index cards and asked our members to answer some basic questions. The goal was to ascertain amongst several things why you became a Rotarian and why you stayed. The answers were quite interesting. Highlights included:
In the coming months, the Retention & Exit Subcommittee is going to be intensely focused on reconnecting with members who were once active and have since dropped off. The root causes of this are many but the fact is, we need our Rotary family to be back in action and full strength now more than ever. The Membership Committee needs your help. Please reach out to your fellow Rotarians that you haven’t seen in a while. Say hello, let them know they are missed and are WELCOME to come back to our meetings and service projects anytime. Remind them to think about the positive benefits of Rotary, and ask them to give it another go. Do this for your friends, for our club, and for our community. Thank you all! |
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Emmaus Rotary Club Super Bowl LVII Pool!Dear fellow Rotarians, We are offering a chance to be a Super Bowl Winner and support Emmaus Rotary Club's food program. We have been distributing food to East Penn School District students for over three years. You and your friends can purchase one square for $50 and if your square matches one of the end of quarter scores or end of game score you will win! Win Money! More importantly all proceeds will be used to keep our food program going. The Super Bowl board will be laid out in a 10 x 10 grid. We will collect money for the squares up to the day before the big game on February 12th, 2023 Payment: I will be accepting electronic payment through Venmo https://venmo.com/u/Gary-Guthrie-13 or QR-code bellow. You can share the QR-code with your friends, family and co-workers. You can also give me cash or check at any Rotary Meeting. Please make checks payable to ERC Foundation. Checks can be mailed to Embassy Bank, c/o Gary Guthrie, 180 W. Main St, Macungie, PA 18062. I recommend that you email me g.guthrieerc@gmail.com when you send payment with your name, email address, and number of squares purchased, so that we know to add you to the board. When all 100 squares are sold, we will randomly enter everyone's names on to the board. Next, we will select the team representing the NFC or AFC team and place them on the two axes of the board. Lastly, we will randomly select and place 0 through 9 for both axes. Once this has been completed the board will be emailed to all participants. PAYOUTS: End of quarters (1st, 2nd, & 3rd) matching score will win $250 (Bonus: REVERSE SCORE will win $50.) End of Game matching score will win $500(Bonus: REVERSE SCORE will win $100.) EXAMPLE: Sample board attached Your square is Tampa 7 – Kansas 0 If the score at the end of the 1st quarter is Tampa 17 – Kansas 10 ( it is the last digit of the score that is used), then you are the winner of the 1st quarter prize. If you square is Tampa -0 & Kansas -7 you win the reverse score prize. We need to sell 100 squares to make this happen so please telling your friends, family and co-workers.  |
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Membership DuesMembership Dues To: Emmaus Rotary Club Members, Subject: Semi Annual Dues / January 1 st , 2023 to June 30 th , 2023 This is to notify you that semiannual Emmaus Rotary Club dues are payable by January 15th, 2023. Please remit $110.00, check made payable to the EMMAUS ROTARY CLUB, Attn: Jean Onyambu at the address below. You may also give the check to Jean at a club meeting. Alternatively, you may also choose to pay the full annual dues by sending $220.00 which covers your dues commitment from 01/01/2023 thru 12/31/2023. You will not be billed in June 2023. VENMO: To pay by Venmo, if your Venmo account is based on a bank account or debit card, you can send $110 or $220 to Don Blose. If your Venmo is based on a credit card, send $113.30 or $226.60 by Venmo to Don. Background: To give members an alternate way to pay, Don Blose has offered to use his Venmo account to accept dues payments. Members can Venmo dues to Don, he will write a check and the Secretary will deposit it. The only glitch is that to use credit card based Venmo transactions to pay dues, there is a service charge of 3%. It would raise the dues to $113.30 or $226.60 for Venmo payments based on credit card. Venmo accounts tied to bank accounts and debit cards have no fee. You can also make a contribution at this time to the ‘Rotary Foundation’ and/or ‘Emmaus Rotary Club Foundation’ by writing separate checks for each. Please note that contributions to both foundations can be made at any time during the Rotary year. Please attach the form below with your check or checks to help ensure proper credit is given. Please remember January 15th, 2023 is the dues payment deadline. Emmaus Rotary Club Dues
NAME: ________________________________________________________ Dues: Made payable to “EMMAUS ROTARY CLUB”. $ ______ Rotary International Foundation Contribution: This check must be made out to $ ______ “ROTARY FOUNDATION” and separate from checks for dues or the Emmaus Rotary Club Foundation. Emmaus Rotary Scholarship Endowment Fund: This check must be made out to $ ______ “EMMAUS ROTARY CLUB FOUNDATION”. Thank you in advance for your timely response. Jean Onyambu Club Secretary Cell: 4842013335 Email: erclubsecretary@gmail.com Address: 1055 Cetronia Rd, D3, Breinigsville, PA 18031 |
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Team SpiritFor those of you who would like to show your team spirit this week! You are invited to wear your Eagles....or whatever attire to represent the sports team you love. This is a fun way to get to know each other too. Let's HAVE FUN together!  |
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GO TEAMOkay I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of Football, but I love seeing my friends and family so happy about their team going the distance. And who doesn't love the fact that Emmaus High School Alumnus Kyzir White is literally representing our hometown and home team! To tie in our Rotary Club, I'd like to say how proud I am of Team ERC! Last week at the Club Assembly I shared where we stand on our Rotary International Goals as well some special goals, I set out to accomplish during my year as President. I'm amazed by the constant and enthusiastic work of our membership! Together we are packing a lot into 12 months....and beyond. For members who were not able to make last week's meeting. I'd like to highlight just three of the many accomplishments we have happening. 1) Launching and Enviromental Impact Service Project! ERC Joint District Grant with Rotary Club of Allentown. Kicks off Saturday, April 29th! Wildlands Black River Sanctuary Project ERC and ARC & Interact Students to plant native species in public access parking area as first leg of the Wildlands preservation project. 2) Working closer with our Emmaus High School Interact Club. After a very successful ERC and Interact Day. We learned that the Students of Interact want to connect more with us and learn more about Rotary values! Club leadership between ERC and EHS Interact are working on future joint meetings and projects! This year we have seen a real increase in Interact Students participating in ERC Community Service Projects. I would love for ERC to participate in Interact initiatives too! ONE REALLY EASY WAY WE CAN START! Is to attend the upcoming Phantoms Game on Saturday March 4th! This is their big fundraiser of the year! They are hoping to sell at least 200 seats which will give them the opportunity to sell Chuck a Puck and 50/50 tickets at the game. Interact would love Rotary's support buy attending and spreading the word about ticket sales. If they meet the goal of 200 tickets sold, Rotarians could join with Interact to sell the Chuck a puck and 50/50 that night. $5.00 from every ticket purchased will go back to the Emmaus Music Department and the Angel Network! Get your tickets now to join in Rotary Fellowship that gives back! Phantoms vs. Toronto Marlies - Emmaus High School Night! (fevo.com) 3) An Evening Meeting Opportunity! Launching Wednesday, March 29th. 6-8pm, at Rising River Brewing in Lower Macungie The plan: Start as a Once-a-Month ADDITIONAL meeting opportunity for ERC. The idea: Re-engage current members and attract new members. Mornings are not for everyone due to work/school/life schedules. We are going to create a productive meeting environment: not just a happy hour. Members and guests will be engaged in project-based planning/activities and enjoy fellowship. Stay tuned for more exciting details. AND DON'T FRET! Morning meetings aren't stopping! We like bacon and eggs too much! Many thanks to Peter McCullough, Gina Vary, Wade George and soon to be member Ron Beitler for their help in planning this concept. We have headed into the second half of the year! While I don't have a fancy Half Time Show for you or an emotional locker room speech. I can leave you with this: R-O-T-A-R-Y That spells Rotary R-O-T-A-R-Y Is known on land and sea From north to south From east to west One profits most who serves the best R-O-T-A-R-Y That spells Rotary! Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed |
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See the World Through Rotary ServiceSee the world through Rotary Service! Last month Rotarians from District 7430 including Emmaus Rotary Club Members, Cindy Hornaman, Chris Hornaman, Dee Eng, Gary Rohrbach, and Sue Straeter and Husband Ray Doviak, traveled to St. Kitts to give back and kick back a little. During the trip they:
Interested in seeing the world through Service Above Self? What are you waiting for? Talk to Cindy, Dee or Alicia for opportunities.     |
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Eyes on RotaryHello Emmaus Rotary Friends! Shine Bright Friends!
Emmaus Rotary Club Service Above SelfWe often hear the question : “So what exactly is Rotary?”. The truth is that Rotary is a lot of things and can mean different things for each life it touches. Rotary is a global organization of over 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves - all while building lifelong friendships in the process. Rotarians are “People of Action” Our mission: We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. What we do: Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. Through our 7 areas of focus 46,000+ clubs work together to:
So, how do you want to get involved in Rotary? Ways to get involved Spring/Summer Contact EmmausRotary@gmail.com
Many thanks for your support: Emmaus Rotary Foundation c/o 2225 Riverbend Rd. Allentown, PA 18103 Contacts:
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Good Grief Charlie BrownGood Grief! A lament of frustration and a little despair most notably coined by the lovable loser Charlie Brown of the Peanuts. I'll be honest with you Friends....I've felt that Good Grief feeling a number of times over the last 3 months. Yes, while I present myself to the world as a never-ending enthusiastic and energetic person there are times when balancing Rotary, family, relationships (of all sorts), career, general life responsibilities, and my health can seem like a gauntlet. The list can seem overwhelming. I know each of you understands this feeling. And knowing that we are not alone in those feelings and having a supportive community around you is important. I have learned over the last 48 hours just how important these things are. Each of us has or has had a lot on their proverbial plate at one point or another. Many of us keep those heaping portions served up on that plate to ourselves. Sometimes you just are not aware of what someone is going through behind the scenes. That is why the Fellowship and strong Leadership of Emmaus Rotary Club is so critical for a healthy and vibrant club atmosphere. Over the months and years of being a Rotarian we have formed meaningful bonds with each other in lots of ways. Those relationships are the glue that keep us inspired together. Keeping up with relationships can be hard work, but it is work worth doing because losing ourselves in daily rat race is not the meaning of life. The difference we make together and the experiences of we share together are what we will look back on at the end of this road called life. For those in this ERC family that are new. You are part of something big. Welcome! For those in ERC for a long while. You have set the stage for tremendous work. Thank You! For those in ERC we haven't seen in a while for a multitude of reasons.... you matter, and we care about you. We miss you! If you need a Friend. We are here. For those in ERC we have lost. You are not forgotten. You have built a legacy. For every ERC member looking at life's plate and feeling like GOOD GRIEF, I hope you know you have a family here. In closing sometimes grief is a good sign. We feel frustrated when the things we care most about aren't working out as we envisioned. It certainly won't feel like it in the moment, but in its boiled down, bittersweet form, grief is an extension and act of love. Without love you wouldn't ever feel its punch to the gut. It presents itself when we lose. Lose a companion, lose control, or lose something meaningful. We don't like losing. It's uncomfortable. But what comes after loss can be inspiration and growth. We grieve the things we've love the most. I'd rather feel some good grief than never love or care enough to feel it. Shine Bright Friends, Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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Sponsor a Ukrainian family through Welcome.US
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ERC History! The Caboose ChroniclesIn a conversation last fall, Roger Whitcomb brought to my attention an interesting find in our chapter archives. It was a letter exchange in 1969 between a local resident, Mr. Forrest Trittenbach of Chestnut Street in Emmaus and the Secretary of Emmaus Rotary at that time Mr. Fred Shaffer. Mr. Trittenbach was a local rail historian and a conductor on the Reading Railroad. He met with the President of the Reading Company and secured for Emmaus Borough the donation of a caboose to be displayed at the park. The letter writing alludes to a cooperative relationship between Emmaus Rotary, the railroad, the borough, and Mr. Trittenbach in making the display of the caboose possible. On November 5th, 1969 the railroad brought a chosen caboose from Reading to Sixth Street in Emmaus. For a nominal fee of $1,000.00, Emmaus Rotary legend Wilmer Shultz facilitated a mobile crane, two flat bed trucks, and necessary personnel to move the caboose to the display site. Apparently, the hauling fee was forwarded to the Interclub Council of Emmaus Service Clubs. However, the Emmaus Rotary Board of Directors approved painting of the exterior of the caboose for the following spring. Of course, my first response to Roger was….where’s our caboose? So a little digging around revealed a happy ending and a personal connection for me. First stop was an excellent book that I soon bought from a friend of mine: Reading Company Cabooses by John W. Hall. There, I learned that our Emmaus Caboose was Reading Company Number 92830. Further digging on the internet led me to find out that the caboose later became an attractive nuisance in the park and was eventually moved to the WK&S Railroad in Kempton, PA where it resides in operating condition today. Ironically, in the early 2000s, I was a volunteer at the WK&S and actually spent a cold winter on weekends painting the interior of this very caboose. What a small world! For your enjoyment, I’ve attached two photos of the caboose from the aforementioned book. Also attached is a copy of the correspondence that Roger found in our archives. Lastly, here is an excellent internet link for more information on our caboose. Jeff's WK&S Railroad Pages (jeff-z.com) Yours In Service, Wade George   |
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Emmaus Interact Club Meeting SuccessHello Friends! I'm happy to report that our EHS Interact & ERC Meeting was a success! The concept was to provide four stations that the students could pick from in a series of three rotations. The stations helped students to learn more about Rotary and ERC. The topics were: Youth Exchange, Camp Neidig, The Fourway Speech Contest/ERC Scholarship Awards, and a Meet & Greet/Round Table. This concept was a brilliant idea brought forth by Interact Advisor, Amy Kaunitz and Interact Club President Emma. (Emma is a terrific young leader and participated in the Four Way Speech Contest last year, making it to Districts) What we took away from this experience was that the Students of Interact want to work more with ERC! They want to learn more about Rotary and wish we would have done this together sooner!! SO next year we will hold this sort of meeting in October and kick of the school year with helping Interact become more knowledgeable about Rotary and why Interact is really the first rung on the ladder of Rotary participation. I so enjoyed sitting and talking with this fine group of young people who have a desire to serve the community. We had nice conversations and shared potential service project ideas. NEXT we will schedule a follow up joint meeting to learn more about Rotary's 7 Areas of Focus and brainstorm project ideas that Interact would like to create and that ERC and Interact can work on together. I think this is the next chapter in strengthening the bonds with ERC and Interact and change more lives through the joy of service. The future is bright so let's shine! Many Thanks to Interact Advisor Amy Kaunitz, Interact Club President Emma, Youth Committee Chair Tony Moyer (4 Way Speech/Scholarship Station), Don Blose, John Chisca and Eric Loch (Camp Neidig Station), Courtney Kennedy, Bob Kruas and Exchange Student Flora (Youth Exchange Station), Sal Verrastro, Nelly Kabiru and Karen Hobson (Meet & Greet/Round Table Station). And special Guests Bill Thompson from the Fleetwood Rotary Club and District Governor Len Gieseler (who is also a Camp Neidig Alum and was able to share his experience)! Shine Bright Friends, Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23     |
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Thank You This week I will keep it short and sweet. Thank you for all of your support over the last week and for your kind words. My last message seemed to really resonate with many of you and it helps to know we are not alone in life's struggles. Emmaus Rotary is an amazing group of Friends that has changed my life. Each of you has had an impact on me. I appreciate my relationships with each of you. I hope you have a terrific week ahead. I will see many of you on Thursday! Keep Shining Bright! Meghan Reed
President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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Last Call for Nominations! International Women's Day CelebrationDear Rotarian, International Women's Day (March 8, 2023) is "right around the corner", and your IWD committee needs your help in identifying a woman from our community AND a female Rotarian to be recognized for their outstanding service. Our club has had the pleasure of honoring tremendously committed and compassionate people in each of the last five years. And as in years past, we need you, our members, to nominate women for Emmaus Rotary's 2023 International Women's Day celebration! Please make some time to review the award flyers for each award category (below). The flyers contain the calls for nominees, information on the awards, and major eligibility criteria. Detailed criteria can be found at the end of the additional criteria links. Community Member Award Flyer (click to see additional criteria) Rotarian Award Flyer (click to see additional criteria) Thank you for considering the women in your life who epitomize our Rotary ideals through volunteer service. If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact Alicia Ruiz-Orbin at aruizorbin@aol.com. Warmly,Emmaus Rotary International Women's Day Committee  |
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Good Tidings!Hello Friends! I have good tidings for you (did you know that good tidings means to bring good new? Well now you do if you didn't) The past 6 months have just flown by! I can't believe I will be half way through my service as your Club President. 2022 has been a year of real growth for me and I thank each of you for playing a role in my life. I'm excited to kick off 2023 with our Club Assembly so we can check in on how ERC is achieving goals and review the impact of our service work. I invite you to take some time this Holiday Season to personally reflect on how you've grown, changed, learned, served, faced challenges and enjoyed your life;Then set your intentions for 2023. I hope you enjoy this meaningful time of year with your loved ones. Remember to pause be thankful for all the gifts we have in our lives. The greatest gift of all is the present of BEING PRESENT. Soak in the magic and goodness around you and hold those moments close to your heart. Wishing you all things Merry and Bright! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23   |
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Oh TennenbaumThe Holiday Season is in full swing now. In the hustle and bustle of shopping for gifts, decorating and preparing for gatherings we can sometimes lose sight of WHY! That answer will be different for everyone...but at the heart of it all, we do all this to express love and gratitude for the people in our lives through tokens of appreciation and even more precious to enjoy TIME together through traditions. One of my favorite traditions is adorning a beautiful tree with twinkling lights and meaningful ornaments. I also love a good community Tree Lighting! This past weekend Emmaus Rotary teamed up with The Emmaus High School Interact Club, and helped the kids of Emmaus send letters to Santa. Many Thanks to Karen Hobson, Nicole Steirer, Diane Grahm, Jean Onyambu, Mario Cuzzubbo, Jeff McElhaney, and Rick Zayaitz, for braving the rainy weather during the event to make this tradition happen. Thanks to you a lot of little ones have the comfort of knowing the Big Man in Red will get their wishes and about 130 of those kiddos will even get a letter back to keep the belief in magic alive!       O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, How faithfully you blossom! Through summer’s heat and winter’s chill Your leaves are green and blooming still. O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, How faithfully you blossom! O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, With what delight I see you! When winter days are dark and drear You bring us hope for all the year. O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, With what delight I see you! O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, You bear a joyful message: That faith and hope shall ever bloom To bring us light in winter’s gloom. O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, You bear a joyful message Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23
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Thanks and GivingWhen sitting down to write my message this week, I took time to reflect on some lovely poems that I found about what giving means. I hope you enjoy the poem below by Alberto Rios. I THANK each and every one of you for all you GIVE. You give your time, your talents and your treasures in the motto of Service Above Self. I see you give selflessly to your families, and your friendships. You also give opportunities. You give different perspectives. You give in creative ways. You give quietly without expecting accolades. You give because it makes a difference. Each act of giving matters. You matter. Thank you for being an Emmaus Rotarian. Follow this link to listen to the Poet read this poem aloud. It is even better when you listen to it. When Giving Is All We Have by Alberto Ríos - Poems | poets.org When Giving Is All We HaveAlberto Ríos - 1952- One river gives Its journey to the next. We give because someone gave to us. We give because giving has changed us. We have been better for it, Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet, Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too, Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand, You gave me blue and I gave you yellow. What you did not have, and I gave you Something greater from the difference. IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK: NO MEETING THIS WEEK in observance of Thanksgiving! It's Turkey Time! Feeling cozy at our meetings? I hear you! Want more elbow room? Me too! How do we make this happen? We need more members to attend our meetings! Pre-Covid we had much higher numbers of meeting attendance. Since getting back to full in persons meetings our attendance has declined. We talk a lot about being "finders" for new members. We are also "keepers" of our existing members. We have all created friendships through the years. Who have you not seen in awhile? Please call that person today and ask them to come back to our weekly meetings. HEY maybe you're reading this and thinking....boy ya know it's been a while since I've been at a meeting.... I miss my friends.... I miss the way I feel after an inspirational program...I'd like to check out our new meeting location. WELL, WE MISS YOU TOO and WE WANT TO SEE YOU! Let's show Superior Restaurant that we can fill the entire room so that we can justify asking that it be reserved just for us! ANGEL NETWORK RICE COLLECTION! We are very close to collecting 100 boxes of rice. Please remember to bring boxed rice to our next meeting on 12/1/22. We can make a difference to struggling families one small donation at a time! Can't make the meeting next week....Drop your rice off at Eric J. Loch Diamond Jewelers by Wednesday and I will make sure it gets to Eileen on 12/1/22 UP Next! Saturday, December 3, 2022. Letters to Santa at Emmaus Old Fashioned Christmas. Help the True Believers in Santa get their wishes to Man in Red at Emmaus Tree Lighting. If you ever wanted to live in your own Hallmark Movie...this is your chance. The time for the event is 4-7. We will do 2 time slots, 3:30-5 and 5-7. We are looking for 2 volunteers for each shift. You would be helping the kids get their letters written and then "mailed" to Santa. Please sign up with the link below to let us know that you're interested in helping us out. Meeting December 8th! Book Collection for Cops & Kids and the ERC Shopper Shop. We are bringing back two favorite programs from last year. Bring your Mega Millions to cash in on some sweet Rotary Merch and other fun gifts donated by fellow members. Want to earn more Mega Millions? Bring a book to donate to Cops and Kids that day! We are looking for Childrens books for ages K - 5th grade. We will be writing encouraging messages in these books and including a bookmark. WE WILL HAVE THE FULL DINING HALL FOR THIS MEETING. Meeting December 15th AT THE MACUNGIE INSTITUE located at 510 East Main Street, Macungie. We will NOT be at or usual meeting location on 12/15 because we will be treated to a Festive Holiday performance by the Emmaus High School Chorale. Same time, 7:30am, same breakfast price of $15. Parking on site. Don't miss this uplifting performance that has become a beloved ERC tradition. The voices of these students are sure to give you goosebumps. Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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Interact in ActionClearly Emmaus Rotary Club has been hard at work serving our community in a multitude of ways over the last 3 months. I wanted to take a moment to share with you that our Emmaus High School Interact Club has also been busy making a difference. Over the last few weeks Interact participated alongside ERC at the Mircale League Trick or Treat and The Knauss Homestead/Emmaus Remembrance Garden Clean up. This very active Interact Club has also been creating and implementing their own meaningful service projects. I am so impressed by this group of Students and enjoy working with Interact Advisor Amy Kaunitz. Our Youth Service Committee Chair Tony Moyer and Community Service Chair, Karen Hobson have also been hard at work making sure that the lines of communication between ERC and EHS Interact are open and supportive. Stay tuned for more Interaction with our Interact Club!
Interact read, sorted, and counted over 1500 letters to mail to our American servicemen and women.   Branch, our EHS Therapy Dog, and the Interact Club teamed up to help the Sanctuary by collecting towels for the dogs and cats at the shelter. Pictured are Branch and Amanda Gross, Interact Treasurer.  Emmaus Interact Students showed up in a big way to help at the Emmaus Remembrance Garden Clean up on 11/12/22! We also had some talented Chef's on deck to help prepare meals for the Allentown Rescue Mission.   IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK: Board Meeting this week! 8:35am Lower-Level Meeting Space at Superior Restaurant after our normal meeting. NO MEETING NEXT WEEK in observance of Thanksgiving! It's Turkey Time! RICE RICE BABY! ANGEL NETWORK RICE COLLECTION! We are about 3/4 our goal of collecting 100 boxes of rice. Please remember to bring boxed rice to any meeting now through November 17th. We can make a difference to struggling families one small donation at a time! Can't make the meeting this week....Drop your rice off at Eric J. Loch Diamond Jewelers by Wednesday and I will make sure it gets to Eileen on the 17th. UP Next! Community Service! Saturday, December 3, 2022. Letters to Santa at Emmaus Old Fashioned Christmas. Help the True Believers in Santa get their wishes to Man in Red at Emmaus Tree Lighting. If you ever wanted to live in your own Hallmark Movie...this is your chance. Stay tuned for sign up information or reach out to Karen Hobson and Nicole Steirer. Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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Flip the ScriptLike many Phillies fans, licking our wounds, it can be easy to get bummed out when things don't go how you envisioned them. Sometimes you need a reminder of what IS going right and to appreciate the work you've put in to get to where you are. You won't hit a homerun every game, but you show up and take the chance. Sometimes you win big and sometimes you face the dreaded four-letter word we do not love hearing.... fail. But if you don't take the shot, you have no chance of winning. What am I getting at here? I understand that the Club has faced some big changes over the last month with moving our meetings. We moved our homebase! BUT we met a challenge, we put in the work to find a solution, and now we are fine tuning the mechanics of how our new meetings flow, grow and thrive. It is going to take some time and practice to hit our stride. So, I thank you for cheering us on. I thank you for your thoughts and constructive input. I welcome help, ideas and solutions that you want to bring to the table as a member of the team. We are trying new things so that we can see what works and what doesn't. Over the next few weeks, you will some new strategies in our meeting plans that we hope will get us into a new and improved groove. Let's have fun and remember that home is where you heart is...and for ERC the sense of feeling at home shines through when we are at service to our community. Let us remember that the real work is put in before and after the weekly meetings. It is the constant planning. It is the behind-the-scenes committee meetings. It is the community service projects that we literally knock out of the park!! Time to rally! RICE RICE BABY! ANGEL NETWORK RICE COLLECTION! We are only HALF WAY to our goal of collecting 100 boxes of rice. Please remember to bring boxed rice to any meeting now through November 17th. We can make a difference to struggling families one small donation at a time! Meal Prep for Rescue Mission and Turning Point - Saturday, November 12, 2022. 8am - 11:30am It's time for our annual meal prep for the Rescue Mission and Turning Point! We are going to be using Zion Lutheran Church again at 5901 Kings Hwy S. Old Zionsville, Pa 18068. We're going to be making a meal for about 80 people at the Rescue Mission plus a group at Turning Point and we'd love to have your help! Karen will also need a few people to help her deliver the food as well. If you're interested, please respond sign up using ClubRunner by clicking here. If you have any questions, please reach out to Nicole at 484-695-1802. The Knauss Homestead and Emmaus Remembrance Garden Cleanup will also take place on November 12th from 9am - 11am! 150 East Main Street, Emmaus - enter through Cintas Car Park. Click here to sign up now. Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23   |
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Go TeamOk I'll give it to you straight Friends. The Trumpet is going out so late because I was sidetracked by my excitement for the Phillies. Yes, I will admit my head has been in the clouds dreaming of my favorite team winning the World Series this year. It brings back memories of their big win in 2008 (picture me leaping around my living room hugging my Dad) What I'm getting at here is that I love this feeling of excitement, and the thrill of imagining something big for my team. Oh wait...did I say Imagine? Yes..I'm going there. While the Phillies are my sports team, YOU, Emmaus Rotary, are my REAL LIFE team. You are the ones that take the phrase "Imagine Rotary" and make it reality. Each and every one of us in ERC makes up the dream team of Difference Makers in our small corner of the world and beyond. We have some heavy hitters on our team. You are out there feeding people, helping children read, building computer labs in Zambia, preserving the environment, giving students opportunities to see the world, empowering young minds to explore the sciences, supporting Veterans, funding ShelterBox, and SO much more. I've also gotta mention that this team hits a grand slam when it comes to Membership and Fellowship. I see you checking in on each other, lending a hand whenever a fellow Member may need it, creating and nurturing lifelong friendships and supporting one another professionally. And in the bullpen we have talented Public Image Committee throwing the Rotary Name out into the Community. While I'm at it; I'd like to extend a BIG Congratulations to Immediate Past President, Mike Waddell for receiving the Rotary Internation Citation for his outstanding goal achievements in the 2021/2022 Rotary Year! The ERC Rotary Wheel is a well-oiled machine, but real Champions never settle! NOW is the time to put your Imaginations to work. District Governor Len got me thinking a lot about this at his visit last week. What does Rotary mean to you? Why did you join? What makes you stay? How does being a Rotarian make you feel? What is your Rotary Story? Now I'd like you to take your answers and think about what you will do with them. How will you share your unique Rotary Story to help grow our Club Membership or reach new Sponsors? What is the next big project you envision for ERC to impact the community? Who do you know that would enjoy Rotary as much as you do? When will you invite that someone to join us at a service project or breakfast? How do you Imagine ERC in a year...5 years...10 years. When I set out to Imagine my Rotary Year as President I took a good look at this team, and I created our Club Goals knowing that we have a great group of people who step up to the plate and get the job done. So, as I round the bases of my term I will reach out and ask you to serve, I am available to our Club Leaders and new Members to offer support, and we will have a lot of fun together in Service Above Self. Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23  IMPORTANT THINGS! RICE RICE BABY! ANGEL NETWORK RICE COLLECTION! Please remember to bring boxed rice to any meeting now through November 17th. We can make a difference to struggling families one small donation at a time! UP NEXT! Meal Prep for Rescue Mission and Turning Point - Saturday, November 12, 2022. 8am - 11:30am It's time for our annual meal prep for the Rescue Mission and Turning Point! We are going to be using Zion Lutheran Church again at 5901 Kings Hwy S. Old Zionsville, Pa 18068. We're going to be making a meal for about 80 people at the Rescue Mission plus a group at Turning Point and we'd love to have your help! Karen will also need a few people to help her deliver the food as well. If you're interested, please respond sign up using ClubRunner by clicking here. If you have any questions, please reach out to Nicole at 484-695-1802. The Knauss Homestead and Emmaus Remembrance Garden Cleanup will also take place on November 12th from 9am - 11am! 150 East Main Street, Emmaus - enter through Cintas Car Park. See Karen and Nicole to sign up.
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ERC HighlightsThis is a very busy Club! Here are some highlights of what has happened over the last week and what is yet to come! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who made it out to our new meeting location at Superior last week! We had over 40 members in attendance. There are some learning curves and kinks we will be working out over the next few weeks. I appreciate your cooperative and helpful responses to our meeting and look forward to us feeling right at home soon. I hope to see a good turnout to the meeting this week. We have a special guest this week! District 7430, District Governor Len Gieseler will be our speaker. Let's give him a warm welcome and thank him for his service to Rotary. On Sunday the Fellowship Committee put together a lovely Pumpkin Painting Party! We had a great turn out by Rotarians and Friends. Lots of happy smiles from the kiddos and grownups! There were a lot of creative ideas and artistic expression going on making it a great day for memories. Thank you to Jean, Don, Ceil, Diane, Nelly and the entire committee for organizing are special day and keeping this young tradition alive for ERC. I look forward to this event every year.    I'm excited to see what ERC puts together for the Miracle League Trick or Treat on Wednesday. Karen and her Committee are working with EHS Interact Club to create a fun experience for the Miracle League. It is so great to see that ERC and Interact are collaborating on meaningful service projects like this. Thank you to everyone who donated to make sure we have enough candy to supply the kids enjoying the event! You are all very sweet! RICE RICE BABY! ANGEL NETWORK RICE COLLECTION! Please remember to bring boxed rice to any meeting now through November 17th. We can make a difference to struggling families one small donation at a time! Board meeting this week! For anyone interested in attending our monthly Board Meeting, we will meet promptly after our normal program wraps up at 8:30am. Our DG Len will be in attendance. UP NEXT! Meal Prep for Rescue Mission and Turning Point - Saturday, November 12, 2022. 8am - 11:30am It's time for our annual meal prep for the Rescue Mission and Turning Point! We are going to be using Zion Lutheran Church again at 5901 Kings Hwy S. Old Zionsville, Pa 18068. We're going to be making a meal for about 80 people at the Rescue Mission plus a group at Turning Point and we'd love to have your help! Karen will also need a few people to help her deliver the food as well. If you're interested, please respond sign up using ClubRunner by clicking here. If you have any questions, please reach out to Nicole at 484-695-1802. The Knauss Homestead and Emmaus Remembrance Garden Cleanup will also take place on November 12th from 9am - 11am! 150 East Main Street, Emmaus - enter through Cintas Car Park. See Karen and Nicole to sign up. BIG REMINDER! This week we move our weekly breakfast meetings to Superior Restaurant in Emmaus. Same time; 7:30am start time. Doors open as early as 7:00am. The cost is STILL $15.00. BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE CLUB MEETING DUTIES TO SEE IF YOU ARE SCHEDULED! We will need all hands on deck to make this a smooth transition! Check out the new menu below. Your breakfast will be made to order. I don't know about you but I'm already looking forward to some eggs over easy!!! We've got a great program in store for you as well...it is time to start thinking about the ERC Centennial! ERC Breakfast Menu
Shine Bright and GOOOOO Phillies!!!!!!! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23  |
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Emmaus Rotary Club FREE Pumpkin Painting PartyA family friendly Fellowship event open to all Rotarians and the Community. Questions: Contact Fellowship Chair: Jean Onyambu at 484-201-3335 or ercclubsecretary@gmail.com THANK YOU TO ALDI TREXLERTOWN FOR DONATING ALL OF THE PUMPKINS FOR THIS FREE ACTIVITY!
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Foundation Seminar November 12 and Grant TrainingANNOUNCING: OUR EXCELLENT 2022 FOUNDATION SEMINAR YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT!!! MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022 7:30AM REGISTRATION SEMINAR 8:00- 1:00 GRANT TRAINING FOLLOWING 1:00-2:00 PM IN PERSON AT BUCKS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE GALLAGHER ROOM 275 SWAMP ROAD NEWTOWN, PA 18940 THIS YEAR WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING SPEAKERS AND LEARNING SESSIONS Rotary International Trustee: Marty Hellman Chairperson of the Rotary Action Group on Literacy: Carolyn Johnson Turkish Rotarian Sedef Bircan, Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisors Outstanding Breakout Sessions Grant Training following the Seminar And our Journey to the Next Million…… Who Should attend: EVERYONE! Club Presidents, President Elects, Club foundation chairs, grant chairs, other committee members and all Rotarians—come and support our Foundation! This Year our Foundation Seminar will be held jointly with our neighboring district 7450 |
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IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEKWe have a whole lot of positive things going on this week! Thank you for all the enthusiasm and support over the past few weeks! I really appreciate it! BIG REMINDER! This week we move our weekly breakfast meetings to Superior Restaurant in Emmaus. Same time; 7:30am start time. Doors open as early as 7:00am. The cost is STILL $15.00. BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE CLUB MEETING DUTIES TO SEE IF YOU ARE SCHEDULED! We will need all hands on deck to make this a smooth transition! Check out the new menu below. Your breakfast will be made to order. I don't know about you but I'm already looking forward to some eggs over easy!!! We've got a great program in store for you as well...it is time to start thinking about the ERC Centennial! ERC Breakfast Menu
NOW let's talk Make a Difference Month! I want to start with a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped Represented Emmaus Rotary this weekend! We had Mike and Linda Waddell on The Trail to End Polio for District 7430! And ERC showed our town spirit at Emmaus Halloween Parade on Saturday with volunteers: Ann Matlack, Diane Graham, Eric Loch, Bob Kraus, Joe Pugliese, Jean Onyambu, Don Blose, Mike Waddell and of course our amazing Community Service Chairs Karen Hobson and Nicole Steirer. Your time is greatly appreciated, and I hope you had a lot of fun with this weekend.  Let's keep Make A Difference Month momentum going to strong! MIRACLE LEAGUE HALLOWEEN CANDY COLLECTION! Bring a bag of candy to the next two meetings OR drop off with Meghan at Eric J. Loch Diamond Jewelers and Meghan will get the candy to Karen and Nicole. (I promise not to eat any of it before trick or treat) UP NEXT! Wednesday, October 26th - MIRACLE LEAGUE HALLOWEEN TRICK OR TREAT- NEED 8-10 PEOPLE MAX - 4:30pm - 8:00 pm at Miracle League Park 5858 Sell Rd. Schnecksville. We will be working alongside the EHS Interact Kids in this service project! Help hand out candy and run the interactive children's games and wear a group theme costume!! Contact Karen and Nicole at erccommunityservice@gmail.com ANGEL NETWORK RICE COLLECTION! Bring boxed rice to any meeting now through November 17th. Another Club Function you won't want to miss! Sunday, October 23rd - FELLOWSHIP COMMUNITY PUPMKIN PAINTING - Emmaus Community Park at the Rotary Pavillion from 2-5pm. FREE Family Friendly event for all Rotarians and the Community. One of my favorite events of the year. I love bringing my best friend's kids along and inviting my friends to spend time together! I encourage you to make some memories with me! RSVP here now: Emmaus Rotary Club FREE Pumpkin Painting Party | Rotary Club of Emmaus  Shine Bright and GOOOOO Phillies!!!!!!! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23 |
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We are in Full Swing!Hello Friends! ERC is certainly in full swing here in the midst of "Make a Difference Month". I know we are throwing a lot at you, but we are knocking it out of the park with Community Service. After all this is WHY we are Rotarians isn't it? We signed up to make a difference in the community, right? We don't like to sit on bench and watch! I see the work our super active members are putting in! It does not go unnoticed, and I THANK YOU for showing up and making ERC shine! Earlier this month we assisted the Wildlands Conservancy in planted 60 trees at Emmaus Community Park to help the riparian buffer area. Shout out to Mike Waddell, Gary Gutherie, Karen Hobson (and my husband Len) for rolling up their sleeves to dig in.  This past weekend Karen Hobson, Diane Graham, Joe Pugliese and Don Blose were angels in the outfield at the Mircale League Baseball Game. They helped the players round the bases, hit, pitch and cheer! A day well spent and a day each of those kids will remember!  Now who else is up to bat? We have a lot more in the lineup and it your chance be team players. Maybe you're reading this and haven't made it to a meeting in a while and want to get back in the swing of things. This is your chance to include your family or a good friend and make some meaningful memories together in service above self! OK that's your pep talk for the day! SO what are you waiting for?! Sign up with Karen and Nicole to help with the following we want to count YOU in! THIS WEEK: Saturday, October 15th - EMMAUS HALLOWEEN PARADE MARSHALS NEEDED. Meet at 5:45pm to at Keystone Avenue and Ridge Street to help line the floats up for the parade. 7:00pm Parade kicks off. Walk the parade route as Parade Marshals. (Ater the parade be rewarded with some festive liquid refreshments at Better Homes and Gardens Valley Partners building on Main Street.) Contact Nicole Streirer, areo831@yahoo.com / 484-695-1802 Sunday October 16th - CLEAN-UP CREW DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN PARADE - CAPTAIN AND CREW NEEDED! Meet at 8:30am at the Weiss Parking Lot, Emmaus. Safety vests, and trash bags will be provided, bring work gloves. Contact Nicole Steirer, areo831@yahoo.com / 484-695-1802 MIRACLE LEAGUE HALLOWEEN CANDY COLLECTION! Bring a bag of candy to the next two meetings OR drop off with Meghan at Eric J. Loch Diamond Jewelers and Meghan will get the candy to Karen and Nicole. (I promise not to eat any of it before trick or treat) ANGEL NETWORK RICE COLLECTION! Bring boxed rice to any meeting now through November 17th. UP NEXT: Wednesday, October 26th - MIRACLE LEAGUE HALLOWEEN TRICK OR TREAT- NEED 8-10 PEOPLE MAX - 4:30pm - 8:00 pm at Miracle League Park 5858 Sell Rd. Schnecksville. We will be working alongside the EHS Interact Kids in this service project! Help hand out candy and run the interactive children's games and wear a group theme costume!! Sunday, October 23 - FELLOWSHIP COMMUNITY PUPMKIN PAINTING - Emmaus Community Park. More details to come! SAVE THE DATE. Family Friendly! Shine Bright and GOOOOO Phillies!!!!!!! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23     |
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We Make a DifferenceGAME ON! It is officially "Make a Difference Month! The Community Service Committee has some really great service opportunities on deck for you this Month. Stay tuned and mark your calendars for everything from tree planting to meal preparation. There will be something for everyone and ways for the whole family to volunteer. Let’s come together and make a big difference locally. The list of service days will be posted to our Rotary events calendar throughout the month so that you can easily sign up right from our website and your ClubRunner App. THIS WEEK: SIGN UP NOW FOR THE MIRACLE LEAUGE BASEBALL GAME THIS SATURDAY OCTOBER 8TH Emmaus Rotary Club is looking for volunteers to help the Miracle League kids during their three games. We need Catchers, Pitchers and Angels to help the kids get around the bases - in need of approximately 5-8 Volunteers to help each session. 10.00 am, 11.30 am and 1 pm games. great opportunity for you to bring your teenagers to help and experience. Take a look their website https://mllv.org/ Contact Karen for more details 484-560-1711. SIGN UP TO HELP HERE: Miracle League Baseball - Make a Difference Month | Rotary Club of Emmaus (emmausrotary.org)  Save the date: More Dates and Details to Come: 10/15/22 - Help Marshall the Emmaus Halloween Parade 10/16/22 - Day after Emmaus Halloween Parade Clean Up 10/26/22 - Miracle League Trick or Treat MORE FUN THIS WEEKEND: WHO'S IN WITH ME??? Local running group Trip Tees has generously named ERC as the recipient of all proceeds raised at their upcoming Scavenger Hunt! The 2nd Annual Scavenger Hunt will start at Yergey Brewing Sunday October 9th. Registration from12:00pm - 12:30pm. The ONE HOUR WALK OR RUN hunt gives clues to local businesses and random items throughout the Borough. Teams can be 1 - 4 members. Only $5.00 per person to participate. Each participant fee is donated to Emmaus Rotary Club. I will be helping participants register and thanking everyone for their donations to ERC. I hope to see some ERC members and their families and friends there to enjoy this fun day in downtown Emmaus.  Shine Bright Friends! (And THIS is our time to really SHINE) Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary 2022/23 |
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Conversations Over Cornhole Rotary MixerEmmaus Rotary will be participating in this membership event is for Area 1 and Area 2 Rotary Clubs to share about our wonderful clubs in a brand new and exciting venue - Stone Farm Cellars. Teaming up with the Western Lehigh Chamber, each participating club (Allentown West, Slatington, Whitehall, Emmaus, Bethlehem and Bethlehem Morning Star) will have the opportunity to showcase their clubs and activities, meeting times and members. Please join us for this fun night of cornhole with food offered by "Feast in the Valley", wine and spirits, by Stone Farm Cellars, as well as desserts from The Buttered Crumb. Winners and losers will have fun all night playing cornhole for some very corny prizes. Don't miss this opportunity to mix and mingle with area Rotarians and fellow professionals. Bring your friends and coworkers! Advanced registration is encouraged so we can plan for you. There is no charge for this event, and discounted food and beverages will be available. Register with the Chamber here: Conversations Over Cornhole with Rotary (lehighvalleychamber.org) |
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Important Things to Know This WeekIt is time to Mix it up a bit! let’s get excited to help our friends at Tails of Valor! Our Club meeting on Wednesday 9.28.22 from 6-8pm will be a mixer at Yergey Brewing on Main Street, Emmaus to benefit Tails of Valor! Only $10 to attend. BE SURE TO WEAR YOUR PINS!!! And you can, bring a box of rice for Eileen's collection for the Angel Network. MegaMillions will be flowing tomorrow!!! This is going to be a fun evening of Fellowship and we will have the opportunity to meet new guests interested in learning about Rotary, all while raising money to help Veterans find support through service dogs. Last chance to sign up in advance!! Click here and take two minutes to register OF COURSE walk ins will be welcome....but you may just get a fine :) NO breakfast meeting on Thursday 29th.  Get ready for Make a Difference Month! The Community Service Committee has some really great service opportunities on deck for you this October! Stay tuned and mark your calendars for everything from tree planting to meal preparation. There will be something for everyone and ways for the whole family to volunteer. Let’s come together and make a big difference locally. The list of service days will be posted to our Rotary events calendar soon! SIGN UP NOW FOR TREE PLANTING THIS SATURDAY OCTOBER 1ST Wildlands Tree Planting (Make a Difference Month) | Rotary Club of Emmaus (emmausrotary.org) SIGN UP NOW FOR THE MIRACLE LEAUGE BASEBALL GAME NEXT SAURDAY OCTOBER 8TH |
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Thank You Emmaus RotariansIt certainly takes a village when it comes to fundraising for Emmaus Rotary. Monday marked the 15th Annual ERC Golf Tournament. After many months of planning by the Golf Committee and support by many Club Members another successful tournament is in the books! Let’s give a big Thank You to Sue Wenner and her team for their hard work! Rick Zayaitz, Mario Cozzubbo, Cindy Hornaman, Don Blose, Dr. Steve Motze, Keith Heffner, and Joanne Smida. Special thanks to Chris Hornaman for photography. Thank you to each and every member who made the effort to purchase a raffle ticket and sell tickets! A special thanks to Gordon Reese, our major ticket seller. He is a raffle ticket selling champion! I would also like to thank supporting committees like Public Image who were very helpful in getting the word out about the event. When the Rotary wheels are in motion and working together we can accomplish so much and grow our impact in the community. Well done Team ERC! Shine Bright Friends ✨ Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022/23
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Emmaus Rotary Mixer Wednesday 9/28/22!Rotarians! Please join your Club in supporting our friends at Tails of Valor our Mixer on Wednesday, September 28th from 6-8pm at Yergey Brewing in Emmaus. |
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Farewell Summer FestivalEmmaus Rotary is participating in the Farewell to Summer Festival!We will have a tent featuring a super cute children’s game for wee festival goers to enjoy. This is also an opportunity invite people to our upcoming events and service projects. (Fun Fact! The first time I ever learned about Rotary was at this festival b/c ERC had a booth.) WE NEED A FEW MORE HELPERS AT OUR BOOTH! LOOKING FOR TWO OR THREE MORE VOLUNTEERS FROM 1:00pm-3:30pm. This shift will help run the game, interact with festival goers and help pack up the booth. Contact Meghan Reed 610-737-5942 ASAP!  |
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Congratulations Alicia!Being a Member of Rotary means you are part of something big! Your service can stretch from your zip code to anywhere in the world you find the passion to serve. In August I received an email from, Araceli Hernandez Mejia, Secretary of the Camelinas Rotary Club in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that our very own Alicia Ruiz-Orbin had been honored as the Camelinas Club's Woman of the Year! Last Thursday Emmaus Rotary had the opportunity to formally congratulate Alicia on her recognition. At our meeting I shared the letter below because it is important to learn how much impact one person can have in the world. Alicia is truly an inspiration to me, and I hope that each person reading the Trumpet today will take a few minutes to read about just some of the work that Alicia has done through her 30 years of Rotary Service. I hope that it inspires you to take action in some way to be the good you want to see in the world. Thank you for being an outstanding humanitarian, Alicia. Your work has touched MANY lives. It is a privilege to serve in Rotary alongside of you. See the Good. Be the Good. Inspire Good in Others Shine Bright! Meghan Reed President, ERC 2022-2023    Rotarian, Alicia Ruiz-Orbin (center) receives the "Woman of the Year" Award from Camelinas Rotary Club President, Sonia Elizabeth Huerta Ayala.
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Welcome 5 New Emmaus Rotary MembersEmmaus Rotary is excited to officially welcome 5 new Members! Please be sure to introduce yourself to these new faces to ERC!
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August ERC Board Meeting This WeekIt is that time again! First and foremost, I'd like to welcome our official 2022-2023 Directors to the Board. Ceil Birdsell, Wade George, Gary Guthrie, and Nelly Kabiru. Thank you all for accepting this important Leadership Role in Rotary. We will hold a brief Induction Ceremony during our weekly program on Thursday. I'd like to thank Wade and Nelly for serving for another year on the Board. I'd also like to give a very big thank you John Chisca and Courtney Kennedy for serving the Board for 2021-2022 and hanging on until we held our elections. You are all greatly appreciated. This is a friendly reminder to all that this Thursday, August 25, 2022, is our monthly Board Meeting. As normal it will be held at BCC at 8:30am following our regular Club Meeting. All Members are welcome to attend our Board Meetings. You may attend in person or via zoom using the link below starting at 8:30am. Attending a Board Meeting is a great way for new members to learn about our Club and get a better understanding of Rotary. Meeting ID: 827 3304 6253 Passcode: ERC1234 Thank you, Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary 2022-2023  |
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Spaghetti Breakfast???Attention Emmaus Rotarians! IMPORTANT! Our weekly Emmaus Rotary Club Meeting Scheduled for THIS Thursday, August 18, 2022, will NOT be held at our normal meeting location due to a scheduling conflict at Brookside Country Club. The meeting IS STILL ON! We will meet at Italiano Delite Restaurant & Grill located at 1985 Brookside Road, Macungie, Pa 18062 at 7:30am.
Meeting Details: Italiano Delite Restaurant & Grill 1985 Brookside Road, Macungie Pa 18062 Meeting starts at 7:30am. (doors open at 7:00am) $15.00 Breakfast Fee. Speaker. Fellow Emmaus Rotarian, Judge Doug Reichley If you have any questions, contact Meghan Reed or Sal Verrastro. Many Thanks to Sal for working out this excellent alternative meeting location with little notice. That's a Rotarian for you! People of Action!! I hope to see lots of my Rotary Friends this week to learn from Doug Reichley! Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022-2023 610-737-5942  |
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Sharing is CaringHello Emmaus Rotarians! We have been talking A LOT about our upcoming Golf Tournament. Yes, there are even a few articles about it in this very Trumpet. We are blowing the horn loudly because we need everyone’s attention! The Golf Committee is putting together a great event and we need YOU to help spread the word. Our Public Imagine committee has sprung to action! One of those action items being to create a Facebook Event Page for the tournament. Here is an opportunity for those of you on social media to help! USE THIS LINK OR THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW! https://fb.me/e/1M7NLer64 1)Open up Facebook. 2)Find Emmaus Rotary Club. (Be sure to like and follow the page while you’re there) 3)Click on Events. 4)You will see Upcoming Events. Click 15th Annual Emmaus Rotary Club Golf Tournament. 5)Click “interested or going” 6)Click “Share” and post to your “feed” or your “story”. You can even personally invite people on your friends list in the share function. 7) Then be sure to SHARE, SHARE ,SHARE AND THEN SHARE IT AGAIN! A few times a week until the big day! By simply sharing information about this event I have sold 5 raffle tickets. Just imagine if we each took two minutes to share the love! ❤️ ⛳️ Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, ERC 2022-2023  |
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50/400/10,000Oh Hello Emmaus Rotary Friends! IT IS CRUNCH TIME! Our MAJOR Fundraiser for the year is just around the corner? I'm sure you've heard mention of the 15th Annual Golf Tournament, right? Have you marked your calendar for Monday, September 12th? Have you invited someone to participate? Have you scored your raffle tickets yet???? YES! Now is the time leading up to the tournament where we come together to sell these raffle tickets. Raffle tickets are ONLY $50. There are ONLY 400 to be sold. WIN CASH MONEY...$10,000 IN TOAL PRIZE MONEY. THIS IS KIND OF A BIG DEAL! The goal for our event is $30,000. That is $30,000 that we will put to WORK in 2023/2024. SO....how many friends can you text, call or email TODAY to help them win big? I encourage you to give 5 people the opportunity to win big this week! HOW do I get my tickets you ask? Where do I send my friends to purchase tickets you ask? EASY! CLICK HERE or get a bunch at the next Club meeting. See Sue Wenner.  P.S. You can sign up for the tournament or the reception on our website too! We NEED golfers!!! P.P.S Do you have an idea or a contact for a desirable silent auction package? Contact Joanne Smida! See the good. Be the Good. Inspire the good in others! Shine Bright Friends! Meghan Reed President, Emmaus Rotary Club 2022-2023 |
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Board of Directors Ballot...Take 2 Hello Emmaus Rotary Club! Last week you read that it's time to cast your ballot for the 2022-2023 Emmaus Rotary Board of Directors at large. The ballot I had attached in last week's Trumpet and handed out at our meeting was incomplete. DO NOT USE THAT BALLOT. This Thursday you will have the opportunity to cast your vote with the correct ballot! My sincere apologies for the mistake. If you cannot attend the meeting your ballot can still be submitted. Please see the notice below be sure to click on the READ MORE section of this article for correct ballot information. I am excited to see who the Club elects as Directors and look forward to working side by side during my year as your President. See the good. Be the good. Inspire good in others. Shine Bright Friends, Meghan Reed Emmaus Rotary President 2022-2023 To all Emmaus Rotarians ERC Board of Directors for 2022- 2023 Ballots for the 2022 2023 are now available effective Thursday, July 21, 2022. The first ballot consists of the names of all members with exception of current office holders and 4 past presidents. It also goes by email to all active on Thursday July 21, 2022. Votes must be received by the Secretary before midnight July 26, 2022. The top 8 vote getters will be on the second ballot, going to all active and by email on Thursday, July 28, 2022. Ballots must be received by the Secretary before midnight August 2, 2022. YOU WILL VOTE FOR FOUR NAMES ON YOUR BALLOT. There are four ways to cast your ballot – choose only one: • You can forward the ballot email to the Club Secretary at erclubsecretary@gmail.com typing in the four names you vote for. • You can call the Club Secretary at 484-201 3335 and leave a voice mail giving the four names you vote for. • You can text the Club Secretary at 484-201 3335 typing in the four names you vote for. • You can postal mail your vote to the Club Secretary at the below address, but it must arrive by the deadlines to be counted. You can dispense with your name here. We trust Rotarians to vote ethically. Jean Onyambu Secretary, Emmaus Rotary Club 1055 Centronia Road D3 Breinigsville, PA The four Board of Directors selected will go out by email to the Club soon after the votes are tallied. CLICK READ MORE FOR THE BALLOT
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July is New Leadership MonthHello Emmaus Rotary Club! It is New Leadership Month in Rotary. This Thursday you will have the opportunity to cast your ballot for the 2022-2023 Emmaus Rotary Club Board of Directors at large. If you cannot attend the meeting your ballot can still be submitted. Being a Board Member is fun way to be involved on a deeper level in our organization. Please see the notice below be sure to click on the READ MORE section of this article for ballot information. I'd like to thank our current Directors, John Chisca, Wade George, Nelly Kabiru, and Courtney Kennedy, for their outstanding service as Board Members over the past year. Thank you each for stepping up for this important leadership opportunity. You are greatly appreciated by Emmaus Rotary. As we jump into this new Rotary Year, I am eager to serve with proud Rotarians who truly want to make a difference in the world in whatever small and big ways we can imagine together. See the good. Be the good. Inspire good in others. Shine Bright Friends, Meghan Reed Emmaus Rotary President 2022-2023 To all Emmaus Rotarians ERC Board of Directors for 2022- 2023 Ballots for the 2022 2023 are now available effective Thursday, July 14, 2022 The first ballot consists of the names of all members with exception of current office holders and 4 past presidents. It goes by email to all active on Thursday July 14, 2022. Votes must be received by the Secretary before midnight July 19, 2022. The top 8 vote getters will be on the second ballot, going to all active and by email on Thursday, July 21, 2022 Ballots must be received by the Secretary before midnight July 26, 2022. There are four choices on voting – choose only one: • You can forward the ballot email to the Club Secretary at erclubsecretary@gmail.com typing in the four names you vote for. • You can call the Club Secretary at 484-201 3335 and leave a voice mail giving the four names you vote for. • You can text the Club Secretary at 484-201 3335 typing in the four names you vote for. • You can postal mail your vote to the Club Secretary at the below address, but it must arrive by the deadlines to be counted. You can dispense with your name here. We trust Rotarians to vote ethically. The four Board of Directors selected will go out by email to the Club soon after the votes are tallied. Jean Onyambu Secretary, Emmaus Rotary Club 1055 Centronia Road D3 Breinigsville, PA CLICK READ MORE FOR THE BALLOT
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Virtual Meeting This WeekEvery once in awhile we will do a virtual meeting with our Live meeting. This week is one of those times. The virtual meeting should be started by 7:15a.m. Feel free to chat with your virtual friends and the members in attendance. Please mute yourself when the President starts the meeting. Use the Chat feature to chat with the Zoom Master and others on the virtual meeting. We'll do our best to give you the same feel of the meeting as if you were able to attend in person. Please Note that if you are attending virtually please use the following ZOOM link!
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Imagine Rotary 2022-2023 Rotary YearThe Rotary International 2022-2023 Theme of “Image Rotary” gives us each the opportunity to think about the potential we see in Rotary and ourselves as Rotarians and beyond. This Thursday will be our first Club Assembly of the Rotary Year. I encourage you to attend! We will review our goals for the year and upcoming events on our calendar so we can hit the ground running. I also ask that we all take moment to think about the WHY that drives you to put service above self. Why did you join Rotary? Why have you stayed? What is your favorite part of Rotary? Do you have a favorite project that inspired you? What’s your passion in service and what project or program can you imagine doing with that spark? Lets bring our imaginations to the table, and grow the impact Rotary has….together! See the good. Be the good. Inspire the good in others. Meghan Reed 2022-2023 President, Emmaus Rotary  |
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Bags & Beef Cornhole Tournament!Our annual Bags and Beef Cornhole Tournament is fast approaching. This was a very fun event last year with great support from you our Rotarian's. Most of the Teams competing told us they had a great time. Now is time to register or be a sponsor. Just go to http://Cornhole.EmmausRotary.org Here is the FaceBook link to share with your friends -- https://fb.me/e/5RAiZ0mp3 More info below.  |
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Groceries Plus Food Pantry Collection THIS THURSDAY!To prepare for our food collection THIS week (Thursday, August 4th), please see the list below of items that the Groceries Plus Food Pantry is currently in need of. Please bring your food donations to the registration table at this week's meeting for Ashley and Joanne to deliver to Groceries Plus Food Pantry. Thank you!! |
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Lucky You, It's Your Birthday Let's celebrate with all our Rotarians who have Birthdays this month. Heller, Don Jan 21 Hornaman, Chris Jan 31 Smida, Joanne Jan 13 |
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Club Community Service Meeting This WeekThis is the season for giving, and making a person feel appreciated and loved. This week we have the opportunity to do just that for 100 children. Emmaus Rotary has a collection of children's books that we will pull 100 books from to be donated to the Cops And Kids Reading Program. At this meeting each Rotarian in attendance will be given a few books and specially printed Rotary bookmarks (courtesy of Michael Irwin, Vinyl Press Signs and Graphics). We will write words of encouragement to the Children of Roosevelt Elementary School in Allentown. On December 17th Cops and Kids will be holding a holiday book giving event at which First Responders and Santa will hand out books to students. For many of these kids this donated book will be their only Christmas gift. The gift of reading can change lives. Please be sure to attend and if you have any books you'd like to contribute for readers ages 5-11, please bring them along! Our 100 books will be complied with donations coming from other service organizations and the community. Contact Meghan Reed with questions.
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468 Years468 years, 25 people, 35 pins, 84 committee commitments, 28 visits, 7 pinkies, 27 readers, 12 active finders. What the heck does this all mean? The results are in from the Fellowship questionnaire game we played at the end of our Club Assembly. From the members in attendance alone, this is impressive stuff!
While these numbers are fun to share with you. The real mission behind these simple questions was to spark conversation outside of our normal breakfast chats and get us all thinking about how these small things really add up. Thank you for your service and friendship! Meghan Reed, President Elect
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Fellowship Pumpkin Painting Party 10/24/21The Emmaus Rotary Fellowship Committee invites you to the annual Pumpkin Painting Party!Sunday, October 24, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.Emmaus Community Park Rotary PavilionBring yourself, your family or a friend!Please r.s.v.p to Meghan Reed: 610-737-5942Pumpkins, paints/brushes, snacks, refreshments, Cornhole Games, provided by your Fellowship Committee 🎃 |
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Queen of Fun MessageHi Friends! Our Czar, aka President Mike Waddell, is enjoying a family vacation and asked if the Queen of Fun would step up to help with this week’s President’s message. Naturally I accepted. Stepping up is sort of what Rotary is all about isn’t it? I see A LOT of stepping up happening around our Club and it inspires me. All too often we hear how negative the world can be, but I gotta tell you guys, Rotary has become a source of positivity and motivation that helps me to not fall into the doom and gloom trap. We have all made a choice to be the good in the world, to be the change makers, to be the helpers, to be friends, to be better! It is down right exciting to witness and it has changed my life. Has it changed yours? Thank you to all you ERC stepper uppers, you’re feeding families, creating incredible opportunities for our youth, supporting veterans, volunteering countless community service hours, lending a hand to the less fortunate, helping to fund our projects, creating a welcome Club for all to serve….and so much more. While much of the work we do can be quite, diligent, and behind the scenes, it has a profound ripple effect in our community. Each ripple or splash we make to help others makes me proud beyond measure to be called an Emmaus Rotarian. Here’s to stepping up, jumping in, and making big waves together! So Czar Waddell….I hope that you and your grandkids do a giant cannonball in the pool this week in the name Rotary! Yours In Service Meghan Reed - President-Elect
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Fellowship Iron Pigs Night Out 7.23.21
Baseball is back in full swing! It’s time for our annual Iron Pigs Night Out on Friday, July 23, 2021. The Fellowship Committee has another home-run event for you! We have 23 tickets available on the Berk’s Food Picnic Patio. Only $20 per person. Game Time: 7:05 PM Opponent: Worcester WooSox Gates Open: Club Gates @ 5:30 PM Giveaway/Promotion: Fireworks Our admission also includes:
Reserve your ticket with Meghan Reed by July 19th. Payment due prior to game day. First come first served! ONLY 23 seats available! |
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"Fun Way" Speech Picnic WinnersWHAT A GREAT ROTARY FELLOWSHIP EVENT! Thanks to everyone who attended and to all those who helped organize the first Fun Way Speech Picnic last Friday. Congratulations to our winners: Lexa Shallcross: "True Blue Rotary" Mike Waddell: "No Overtime Penalty" Meghan Reed: "We'd Listen Again" Sal Verrastro - "Crown Pleaser " (See what happens when you bring chocolate to an event!) See you all next year so start planning your speech now!  |
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She Nailed It! A great big THANK YOU to all of my Rotary friends who donated to the Habitat Lehigh Valley, She Nailed It Hammer Relay Competition! My team “What’s a Hammer 🤷🏼♀️“ surpassed our goal of $1500 and raised $2000! The event is projected to raise well over $45,000. Our team even made it to the second round! Hahah....guess we do know what a hammer is after all, with our best time clocking in at 28 seconds. What an inspiring afternoon! We were surrounded by supportive women rooting for each others teams, and we learned about the incredible work that Habitat for Humanity does here in the Lehigh Valley. We met a single Mom who now has a home to call her own and a stable environment for her daughter to feel safe in. She has worked side by side with Habitat volunteers to build her home from the foundation up. That is what community is all about! You can count me in to be there again next year! Who’s with me? Learn more about Habitat and Women Build at these links. With Gratitude, Meghan, Katie, Samantha, and Rita 🔨🤷🏼♀️🔨   |
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DON'T FORGET - SHE NAILED IT!! Meghan Reed is looking for some cheerleaders! I will be competing in the Habitat for Humanity Lehigh Valley, She Nailed It! hammer relay competition in May. (Yes, my hammer will sparkle 💎) She Nailed It! is an all women, nail-hammering, relay competition and one of Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley's signature fundraising events! Habitat Lehigh Valley invites women to devote a day to building strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. She Nailed It! raises crucial funding and awareness for the housing inequity women face locally and beyond. In order to compete my team needs to raise $1,500. If you’d like to to support Team “What’s a Hammer 🤷🏼♀️“ I would truly appreciate your generosity! Here are a few ways to donate:
Sincerely Meghan Reed |
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Don't Forget - It's Earth Day!!!Don't Forget!!! To celebrate Earth Day the Emmaus / Upper Milford Environmental Environmental Advisory Councils are looking for volunteers to help with Earth Day clean-up. We need you Emmaus Rotarians, friends and family - let's put together some eager teams of volunteers to help with our Earth Day Clean-up - This Saturday, April 17th starting at 8.30 am starting in the Emmaus Community Park. Information, gloves and garbage bags are provided - usually over by 1 pm - SAVE THE DATE !! More information will follow - there will not be a recycle truck this time.  |
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President's Message
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President's Message
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Thank You Ai Orthodontics 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) Join the team! 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!! |
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2 Bottles Left Sign up NOW! Fellowship Virtual Wine Tasting. Please RSVP! ONLY 2 BOTTLES LEFT 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. We hope to see you there. Cheers Emmaus Rotary Club! |
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Cheers to a Unique Way to Fundraise!
For all the wine lovers out there, here is a way to give back. Do you need to stock up on wine? Do you have gifts to buy and not sure what to get? Here is a great way to raise funds for the Food Insecure Children of East Penn School District. All wine profits made during the month of July, will be given to the Emmaus Rotary Club's Food Packing Program. That’s right, all profits made on all sales will go back to the Rotary! What is Scout & Cellar – it’s a Clean-Crafted Wine, free from chemicals and added sugars. It’s grown naturally, bottled consciously and packed sustainable making it better tasting and better for our planet. Best part, it can be delivered straight to your door. To learn more and order your wine go to www.scoutandcellar.com/dczayaitz. If you have any questions, please contact Dina Zayaitz M: +1 973.896.7254 or E: dinazayaitzcleanwine@gmail.com |
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Change-Over Ceremony Held on June 25, 2020 Emmaus Rotary held its annual changeover ceremony on-line this year on Thursday morning, on June 25, 2020. Past-president Rick Zayaitz was the director of ceremonies. He introduced District Governor elect Janet Kolepp. Then offered Steve Gould, the out-going President, the opportunity to give some final words of thanks and encouragement. Four newly elected Board directors took their oath of office: John Chisca, Courtney Kennedy, Eric Loch, and Sal Verrastro.  The "Gavel was Passed" along a cyber path as the names and pictures of past presidents scrolled on the main screen. Cindy Hornaman, Past-District Governor and Past President, administered the oath of office to Lexa Shallcross, Emmaus Rotary's new President for 2020 -2021. Shallcross said she was officially overwhelmed.... grateful, excited, and anxious and thanked Emmaus Rotary for the opportunity to serve as President. She asserted that she was confident going forward as Emmaus Rotarians who are business and civic leaders had all the experience, expertise and enthusiasm to meet future challenges and opportunities.  In the gardens around her home, Cindy Hornaman "pinned" Lexa Shallcross after the on-line meeting. There were smiles under both of the women's masks! Photo by C. Hornaman You can watch last week's virtual passing of the gavel by clicking here. You can also check out the PowerPoint presentation by using this link. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7zrzm0xwp91vjrc/PAST%20PRESIDENTS%202020-4.pdf?dl=0 |
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2019 - 2020 ERC Presidents Final Message To The Incredible Emmaus Rotary Club, Admittedly, as I sit here and write my final President’s Message, I am reflecting with many thoughts and emotions. This past year has been such an incredible ride. Ups, Downs, All Arounds! And even though it wasn’t the typical Rotary year, no words can express the pride I feel to have served such an amazing Rotary Club. It was a year where we all came together, defined our roles as community leaders and extended our Service Above Self to the world. I have truly enjoyed the positions I have served to get to this point. I have grown in so many ways and I have you to thank for that. Thank you to the Executive Committee, Lexa Shallcross, Mike Waddell and Meghan Reed for your consistent and tireless support. You guys truly made me learn the meaning of team. Thank you to the Board of Directors, Ceil Birdsell, Valerie Deneen, Eric Loch and Sal Verrastro for helping us guide the year through so many changes and important decisions to make our club stronger. Thank you to Chris Wills and Jim Palmquist. Our club would not be what it is without you two. I learned first-hand this year how much time behind the scenes you two spend to your commitment to Emmaus Rotary. Thank you to Don Blose. Your wit and persistence to keep everyone smiling by digging into their pockets is priceless and so important. I never thought Dale’s shoes could be filled and right now he is trying to figure out why his shoes are so loose! Thank you to Rick Zayaitz who I could write an entire book of thanks! Following your foot-steps as the Immediate Past President was a true honor. Your friendship is like no other and I love you like family. Thank you to our Committee Chairs Bill Erdman, Cindy Hornaman, Nicole Steirer, Karen Hobson, J.P. Raynock, Rick Zayaitz, Rose Galeano-Phillips, John Chisca, Eileen Prokop, David Dunn, Meghan Reed, Ashley Lorah, John Zayaitz, Mario Cozzubbo, Mark Erle, Alicia Ruiz-Orbin, Valerie Deneen, Tony Moyer and Eric Loch. You all executed your committees with style and passion. Thank you to Ralph Lewis for collecting food for the needy. Thank you for those who were able to meet my challenge to bring 1 guest this year. Thank you to the new members that joined this year. The list goes on and on because all of you have supported our club one way or another. A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE! It is such a rewarding experience when you dedicate yourself to this club. It comes back to you in so many ways! I wish Lexa the best as she enters her Presidential year. Knock it out of the park Lexa! You have one heck of a club to Lead!!! This week is our pass the gavel ceremony. You don’t want to miss it. And our last Board Meeting for the 2019-2020 Rotary year. Remember, all members are welcome to attend Board Meetings. Thanks again for allowing me to lead and put my own spice on our club. I move forward with fond memories and I'm excited to continue my Rotary Journey with all of you. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President  |
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary, What a year!!! What a month!!! What a week!!! What a day!!! What the heck????? As I sit here in by myself in Naples Florida(long story) trying to put together my thoughts, I continue to be proud to lead us through these unprecedented times. We are all enduring so much. Each and everyone one of us has a story to tell. Our bond will last forever and our desire to make the world a better place will keep us connected through the thickest of challenges. Thank you for staying your course in your personal journey with Emmaus Rotary. I can not express enough my appreciation for The Emmaus Rotary Club. This club has guided me, created personal structure and has presented a level of support I will never be able to express in any way shape or form. I am confident we will come out of this stronger and more willing to continue our efforts to make our community and world around us a better place. I hope to see everyone at 7:30AM this Thursday at our Virtual Meeting. We also have a Board of Directors meeting immediately following our meeting at 8:30AM. All members are welcome. Below is our BOD Agenda. All the best to everyone. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President  |
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary Club, I hope this message finds everyone safe, healthy, happy and at home! It is starting to look like we have made the turn on this thing. I am very much looking forward to getting back to as close to normal as possible. Emmaus Rotary keeps forging ahead as we have adapted to Virtual meetings held at our normal time on Thursday mornings at 7:30am. It has been great to see everyone who was able to log on and I look forward to this Thursday as well. We have deemed this month "Emmaus Rotary Virtual Classification Talk Month". Great job to Mike Zambelli who led us off. I appreciate everyone adapting and doing the best job they can as we navigate these unprecedented times. With that said, please feel free to invite any guests you feel needs a taste of Rotary to our weekly link. We are still tracking who brings guests and we have not stepped back from our goal for everyone to bring at least one guest to a meeting this Rotary Year(Ends June 30, 2020). Virtual meetings count so lets keep the momentum going. BOARD MEETING this Thursday immediately following our regular meeting. Below is the Agenda. This Board Meeting will officially get us back on our regular schedule. Everyone is welcome to stay on if you are interested on seeing what happens in our Board Meetings. Our agenda is very light and we expect to be wrapped up by 9:00am. See you Thursday. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President   |
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President's Message  Hello Emmaus Rotary Club I am calling a virtual ERC Board of Directors Meeting this Thursday April 2, 2020 at 11:00AM. All BOD members, Committee Chairs and the General Membership are welcome to attend. Since we missed our regular March BOD Meeting, this will replace that meeting so we can dig into our new way as we adjust to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Just click on the link below anytime from 10:45AM on Thursday morning and it will take you right to us. If you have any questions or any Board Member has any difficulty trying to login to this meeting, I will be standing by along with John Chisca to help you get connected. That is why we are allowing logins starting at 10:45AM. To enter the virtual meeting, just click this link or copy and paste it into your URL Browser: https://conf.voxtandem.com/b/ste-m9r-f9j Again, if any Board Member has problems accessing the meeting, please call my cell phone at 610-657-2175 or John Chisca’s at 610-730-7998. Hopefully all others trying to join the meeting will be successful, however since this is our first attempt virtually and it is Board Meeting, we will be standing by for this specific meeting to help the Board Members having a difficult time accessing the virtual meeting. All others, and take no offense, you are on your own for this meeting however we feel we are using a very simple platform suited for all. Attached please find the agenda for this meeting. It has been adjusted a bit from our normal layout. Chris and Jim, please email us your Treasurer’s and Secretary’s Reports prior to Thursday’s meeting if possible. Please email me if you have any questions or additions you would like to see added to the agenda. Thanks everyone! See you Thursday Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President  |
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary, Last week's meeting was awesome, inspiring, educational and impressive. I'm so very proud of Alicia Ruiz-Orbin and her Committee for taking part in such a great endeavor of what we do at Rotary. Congratulations to Jill Long and Corinne Goodwin on being the honorees and award recipients at our International Women's Day Celebration. Both Jill and Corinne had great things to say to us. Thank you again for such a great presentation. And thanks to everyone who participated and came to last week's meeting. March is Rotary's Water and Sanitation Month. What does that mean? Well, I asked the same question. Being a 15 year Emmaus Rotarian this May 2020, I am amazed on how I keep picking up on more and more as my own personal Rotary journey continues. And as President, Google is my best friend because when I don't know something, Google is there. Here is Rotary District 3000's Water and Sanitation Focus according to Google:
Another wonderful focus Rotary takes part in! Rotary never gets boring. We pour our heart and souls into so many different areas of Service Above Self! Who do you know that fits that definition? Everyone knows someone! Give them a call and bring them to our Rotary meeting this Thursday(HINT, HINT!! I'm back on my Membership Growth kick!). You may be surprised how thankful they are you asked them to a free breakfast at Brookside Country Club!!! See you all Thursday. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President |
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President's Message Thank you to everyone who attended the Board of Directors' Meeting last Thursday. We moved quickly and covered some good ground. Thursday March 5, 2020 is our International Women's Day Celebration and Recognition Program. Alicia Ruiz-Orbin and her Committee have been working very hard behind the scenes for this program and you do not want to miss this week's meeting. Need a little inspiration and lift up? Here is your opportunity. Thank you to Alicia and her Committee for a job well done. In honor of International Women’s Day and our club’s associated awards presentation, I strongly encourage each Rotarian to wear something purple in color to this meeting. Get creative and let's show our support! And as added incentive, you may be spared a "Fine Dollar" if you so choose to join the fun in purple. The item should be visible of course, however, that is up to you how you will prove your purple effort! :) Hope to see you all on Thursday! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary!!!! Board of Directors Meeting this Thursday February 27, 2020 immediately following the regular meeting. All Committee Chairs are recommended to attend. All Members welcome. Board of Directors meetings are counted as make ups. Hope to see everyone there!!!! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President  |
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President's Message GUESTS!!!!! GUESTS!!!!! GUESTS!!!!!  Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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President's Message Happy February Emmaus Rotary!!!! February is Rotary's Peace and Conflict Resolution Month..... As I sit here and write this message on a balmy 60 Degree early February day, I wonder what the world would be like if EVERYTHING was at PEACE!! Take a moment and think about that! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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If it's Thursday it must be the Wildlands ConservancyERC’ers – a reminder that we are taking a roadtrip to the Wildlands Conservancy this Thursday, February 6. Rumor has it that Jim Hess has a special treat for us so be there! Also, wear you walking shoes if you’d like to take a short walk around the site (weather permitting) after a nice breakfast from David's Italian Market…probably 30-45 minutes. Also, there’s a geocache about 200 yards from the meeting site so get the geocaching.com app and you’re ready to go. Also, for those who need directions, click on the link below and watch the video to the end! Also, doors open at 7 am and close at 7:30 so leave the house early! Also, here is the GPS address to use-- 3701 Orchid Place Emmaus, PA 18049 Yes, too many alsos, but there’s so much to say! |
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary, This Thursday Morning 7:30 AM at The Gather on Chestnut Street in Shimerville is our last meeting for January. January is Rotary Awareness Month! I really like the above quote from Paul Harris, our Founder. Read it because it means so much. Bring a guest this Thursday! Bring a guest that understands Goodwill and Service Above Self!!! We had a very productive Board Meeting last Thursday. I'm proud of what we are accomplishing on so many levels. I love the word Transparency and I'm happy and proud to report the leaders of your club are doing just that! We are continually diving in and working progressively to create a more organized and efficient culture. The goal is this will allow us to advance forward and not lose any ground year after year as the Leadership of our club is liquid. Please keep giving your feedback and suggestions as this is helping us uncover what needs attention. I have a surprise for Thursday's meeting. I will be announcing another new Committee!!! I have definitely abused my Presidential Power to form new committees so far and I don't see an end to that anytime soon! Thanks for everything every Member is being a part of. Our Club is super busy and it is all because of you!! See you Thursday! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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Gather at Gather this Week Rotarians- we are meeting at the Gather Meeting and Event Center at 5402 Chestnut St., Emmaus, PA on Thursday morning with our regular breakfast meeting schedule. You take Rte. 29 out of Emmaus and turn right into the driveway where you see the white Gather sign (see above) which is next to Hendrixsons Furniture. Following is the breakfast menu…. Your choice of two entrees: ~Mild Green Chile Egg, Bacon & Jack Breakfast Enchiladas (hot sauce on the side) ~Bacon, Caramelized Onion, White Cheddar Egg Bake ~Meat Lovers Egg and Mozzarella Bake ~Egg Bacon and Cheddar on Mini Kaisers ~Country Sausage Gravy and Biscuits Includes: ~Farmer's Breakfast Red & Yukon Pan Seared Home Fries ~Smoked Country Ham with Maple Glaze Coffee, tea and juice. Our speakers will be Cindie Feldman, owner of Gather and Anil Srivatsa from the Rotary Club of Bangalore, India who will talk about his life changing experience with an organ donation. Anil has traveled to over 43 countries talking about organ donations--he will address the following points by telling his story as he states it---- - How I dealt with all the fears associated with organ donation - My journey through the legal and procedural issues that plagues Organ Donation around the world - Speaking about concerns that only first-hand interactions with a living donor can help address. - what it takes to truly become an organ donor by throwing light on what happens after you sign up. - I deal with religious and superstitious myths that surround Organ Donation and busting them would help save lives. |
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President's Message Good Day Emmaus Rotary!! Immediately following the regular meeting this Thursday, January 23, 2020 we will have a Board of Directors Meeting. We have a lot to review this week with one major issue needing finalization regarding the breakfast cost increase at Brookside Country Club. ALL Committee Chairs are recommended to attend to give an overview to the Board. This is important to keep the synergy of our Club running as smooth as possible. ALL Emmaus Rotarians are welcome to attend our Board of Director Meetings as well. Remember, this is counted as a make up. Hope to see you all tomorrow for another great meeting. Below is our planned BOD Agenda.  Steve Gould2019-2020 ERC President
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4 Way Speech Contest Volunteers Needed Judges needed for our upcoming 4 Way Speech Contests: No experience required. Emmaus Rotary Club Speech Contest, March 19, 10 - 11 AM, Willow Lane Elementary School North Region Rotary Speech Contest, April 2, 10 - 11 AM, Willow Lane Elementary School Please contact Anthony Moyer if interested: anmoyer1229@gmail.com, 610-295-7691 |
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ClubRunner TipsNEED A MEMBER’S EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER OR MAILING ADDRESS? CLUBRUNNER APP SOLVES THOSE PROBLEMS AND GIVES OTHER INFORMATION. Ever need to find contact information for an Emmaus club member and not know where to look? I find this information in 10 seconds using three clicks on my smartphone. The ClubRunner Mobile app allows you to view full contact information from our club member directory, our club executives, our district leaders, your attendance record this Rotary year and other information, right from your smartphone or tablet! Get the free ClubRunner Mobile app by keying “ClubRunner” into the app store you use. Open the ClubRunner option and download the app. If the information you expect to be there is not, refresh the app by clicking on the two arrows in a circle on the upper right corner of the screen. This calls down a current set of data from the server. Sometimes the app shows you what was there the last time you used the app rather than the current information. If you find an error in the listing in the club Runner app, let me know so I can correct it. This benefits us all. Thanks, Jim Palmquist, Club Secretary |
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District Governor Presents AwardsOur District Governor Herb Klotz presented two awards at the Emmaus Rotary's regular breakfast meeting on January 16, 2020.  The first award recognized Emmaus Rotary's participation in the Purple Pinkie 2019 event to raise money for polio eradication.  Steve Gould, Emmaus Rotary President, accepted the award for the club.  Herb Klotz also presented Emmaus Rotarian Cindy Hornaman, our Past District Governor, for her outstanding efforts to plan and hold the annual district conference. Hornaman graciously said that her award was shared by all Emmaus Rotarians who supported her and the district,
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Thanks! Murakoze cyane! Bill Whipple, from TEACHRWANDA.org, spoke to the Emmaus Rotary on Thursday, January 16, 2020, about the needs of the children of Rwanda and TeachRwanda's efforts to help by offering professional development for teachers in early childhood education. To do this, TeachRwanda operates the Bright School as a model preschool and the students there are also offered nutritious meals of porridge. The mentoring for teachers includes both offering an alternative to asking all students to sit quietly and memorize lessons and upholding the country's recent ban against the use of corporal punishment of children. TeachRwanda partners in a second school which is housed in a public library and is active at the area's teachers' college. Whipple said TeachRwanda seeks to feed the hearts, minds, and bellies of the children. Research shows that 40% of children in Rwanda are stunted in growth and suffer extreme poverty with hunger. The enriched school porridge is high in protein, high in vitamins and high in calories and it may be the only food eaten that day. It costs $2 per child to offer school porridge for a month. Asked after the meeting, Whipple said he eats the porridge daily when he is in Rwanda, but his wife doesn't care for the thick texture. Rotarians were moved by Whipple's presentation and the Board will be considering how Emmaus Rotary might support TeachRwanda.  |
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New Trumpet Editor - Meghan Reed!A friendly reminder: Meghan Reed has assumed responsibility as editor of the Trumpet Newsletter. Please send articles and pictures for the newsletter as well as photos for the website to meghanreed517@gmail.com by Noon on Tuesdays so that the Trumpet can be delivered on Tuesday evenings. I am happy to be a part of this weekly tradition of bringing meaningful information to our membership. I appreciate your continued contributions to the Trumpet over the next year and welcome new ideas on how we can engage readership. Thank you Mike Waddell for showing me the ropes. I hope to make you proud! Meghan Reed
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary, Thank you to all those who were able to attend the Club Assembly last week. It was fun to see and hear the reactions of our members as we presented some information never shared before at a general meeting. I appreciate the comments and look forward in helping to continue to make your experience at Emmaus Rotary Club as rewarding as possible. The heart of Rotary is about helping others. This weeks program is just that. Preparing Rwandan Educators to deliver meaningful learning experiences. If you want to see how far Rotary reaches, this is a great week to come to our meeting. Hope to see you all Thursday along with a Guest!!! :) Yours in Rotary, Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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Rwanda in the Rotarian this week Sometimes you just get lucky and this week is my week, I guess. Bill Whipple is our program presenter this week and he is with the Teach Rwanda organization. Coincidentally, there are two articles in the Rotarian this month about the horrible genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994 and how Rotary has helped the country and its people recover...give the articles a read beginning on p. 26. -Mike Waddell
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Food for the Needy This Week  Be sure to bring a canned good to this week's meeting for Rotarian Ralph Lewis' Food for the Needy drive! We recently heard that 1 in 7 people in the USA is hungry every day. Here in the Lehigh Valley, Second Harvest has figured that it is 1 in 8 people. Better, but many people need our help!
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President's Message HAPPY NEW YEAR EMMAUS ROTARY! Here's to ringing in the new year and decade with a real Rotary Bang!!! I look forward to leading our club for the second half of my Presidential Term in the beginning of 2020. January is Rotary Awareness Month! There so much to be aware of on what is involved with Rotary. What is your elevator speech? This Thursday is our Club Assembly. This is a great meeting to air it all out as we will be having an open forum. Bring your thoughts and ideas and together we will move mountains in Rotary! See you all Thursday! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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ERC and Interact Help a FamilyThank you to all the Emmaus Rotarians who came out to help our Community Service Committee meet up with the Emmaus Interact Club students on Thursday afternoon. We met at the Trexler House close to Emmaus Community Park to take down and put away hundreds of outside Christmas decorations from the yard. The decorations had been carefully put up by the Interact students, who had a lot of fun decorating the yard before Christmas. If you have never been - come and see in December 2020!! The Interact Club and Trexler Family were certainly happy for the help with packing away all the decorations and cleaning up the yard. The Trexler family have been decorating their yard for a decade now and have been supporting two local charities. A donation box sits outside their house for Angel 34 (a non-profit organization with 100% volunteers) with all funds going to help children and their families battle cancer - $2,000 was raised this year!! The Trexler family's girls help make hot chocolate and any money raised from their hot chocolate venture goes to support The Sanctuary at Haafsville, a safe haven for homeless cats and dogs (in 2018, The Sanctuary helped place over 1,400 animals). It's amazing - all the decorations are stacked away in the house attic very carefully - gingerbread men, snowmen, santas, penguins, wise men, manger animals being passed along the chain and up a ladder into the Trexler's attic !! We certainly had a fun time working together and the Trexler family who were very grateful for all the help. Afterwards, we all enjoyed some excellent pizza thanks to Mike Lahanas at Embassy Bank - it was very much appreciated !!   |
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President's Message Greetings Emmaus Rotary Club, I hope everyone had a VERY MERRY HOLIDAY so far and are ready to ring in 2020 with a punch! Can you believe we are half way through this Rotary Year? Where the heck does time go? The older I get the more I understand sayings like, "Time Flies!" Life is Short!" "Where did the time go?" etc, etc. I am so appreciative for everyone's support to our club during the first half of my Presidential year. Proud, thankful and honored are on the top of that list as well. THANK YOU EMMAUS ROTARIANS! Our club continues to grow THANKS TO YOU! Our club continues to make a positive and influential impact in and on our community and beyond THANKS TO YOU! Our club is continually being used as an example for other Rotary Clubs THANKS TO YOU! Moving into the first half of 2020, and the second half of this Rotary Year, all I ask is for you to continue doing what you are doing. Our committees are meeting more regularly and getting more participation. Our Board of Directors is focusing on delivering transparency and other items such as organizational improvements, education and review of our club's By-Laws and Constitution, overall club's financial health and so much more. So keep staying involved and keep inviting more guests. A lot of our member's have taken my challenge to bring one guest this Rotary year. Thank You to those who have brought a guest already, and Thank You to those members working to get their first guest by June 30, 2020. Everyone can use a little Rotary in their life. Practice the Four Way Test and share it with others. I wish everyone a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing everyone on January 9, 2020 when we resume our regular meeting schedule. All the best, Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President |
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Bad Boys Win!.jpg) The people have spoken! The students of Willow Lane Elementary School enjoyed our creative Rotary gingerbread houses. Over 300 ballots were cast and the winning team with over 100 votes is......The Bad Boys! Yup our resident “bad boys” Rory, Woody, Wilmer, Dale and Mario stole the show with their precision and expert craftsmanship!But we would expect nothing less from these fellas. each of The Bad Boys will enjoy a gift card to South Mountain Cycle & Cafe. A big thank you to all of our club members for allowing the Fellowship Committee to shake things up a bit and get us into the holiday spirit together. We hope you all enjoyed making some new memories together and spreading good cheer to one another with your seasons greetings cards. Cheers to a wonderful year of Rotary. Happy Holidays from the Fellowship Committee! More pictures at the emmausrotary.org page under the Photos tab.  |
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary, By now I am sure everyone is done with their Holiday shopping and are fully ready for some egg nog and happy spirits. It is a crazy time of year, however make sure you reflect on what is important. With all the running around, parties, shopping, work, etc etc etc, it is easy to forget to take some time for yourself and appreciate your family and friends. On January 2, 2020 from 3:00 - 5:00 PM Emmaus Rotary Members have the opportunity to help our Interact Students give back to the community. We will be helping our Interact Students un-decorate The Trexler Family House at 1309 W Minor Street in Emmaus. The host parents, Greg and Laura Trexler decorate their house every year and collect donations they give in turn to Angel 34 Foundation, an effort to fight Pediatric Cancer. They are both East Penn School Teachers. Greg is an emotional support therapist. The Interact Students have identified this as service they would like to assist in and are asking our help. Pizza will be provided towards the end of the breakdown for anyone who participates. Look out for sign up sheets at this Thursday's Meeting. We are hoping for a great turnout from our Club Members. Thursday's meeting will spark up your Holiday Spirit as we have a very special program scheduled with the Emmaus High School Chorale. If there is a meeting you do not want to miss, it is Thursdays. They will knock your socks off! Here are some special notes to be aware of: 1) There will be a Board Meeting immediately following Thursday's Meeting 2) There is no regular meeting Thursday December 26th and January 2nd. 3) Our next regular meeting is Thursday January 9th at Brookside. 4) Brookside will be closed January 30 and February 6. Keep your eyes on the Trumpet on the venue and times for those meetings. Here is this month's Board of Directors Meeting Agenda  HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President |
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International Women's Day Celebration AwardsAs a follow up to the announcement I made at our club meeting last week regarding our Emmaus Club International Women's Day Celebration Awards, I would like to clarify that our club gives two Awards: 1) The Rotarian Award to a woman Rotarian from a Rotary Club in Areas 1 and 2 (the Lehigh Valley), and 2) the Community Award to a woman from the Lehigh Valley. 1. Rotarian Award - Only the Club President can nominate a Rotarian from their club; however, Rotarians from that club can make recommendations to the President. A letter was mailed to all the Areas 1 and 2 club Presidents to submit nominations. 2. Community Award - Only us, Rotarians from the Emmaus Club, can nominate a woman from the community for this Award. You should have received the nomination information either at the November 21 or December 5 meetings if you were present and picked it up as they were circulated around the tables, or by US Mail if you were not there or did not pick it up. Recognizing that it may take time to gather the criteria information, fellow Rotarian Valerie Deneen has created a Website where you can enter the requested information as you gather it, save it, and generate a one-page summary. We still ask you to review the summary before submitting your nomination. Deadline for nominations is January 20. If you have any questions about this Award, please do not hesitate to e-mail me or call me at my cell phone 610-392-5134. Our Committee looks forward to receiving your nominations for the Community Award. Thank you for your support. Yours in Rotary Service. Alicia Ruiz-Orbin IWDC Committee Chair |
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Questionnaire Thank You! Many thanks to the almost 50 members who completed my questionnaire about programs for 2020. The most noted categories for programs were healthy living tips, local history, local government officials and classification talks....all very doable, fun and/or interesting....thanks! |
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President's MessageTHANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU!!  12 of these bad boys were filled in and stuck to lapels last Thursday!!! Hello Emmaus Rotary, I would like to extend a very big THANK YOU to those members who brought a guest last week for our first ever, Bring a Guest Day at Emmaus Rotary. I also want to thank any member who made the effort to invite someone however their guest was not able to attend. Those who were able to have guests attend received a FREE BREAKFAST!!!! We will have other Bring a Guest Days in the future, however. every meeting is a great meeting to invite someone to learn about Rotary. I am excited to see how many of the 12 guests at last Thursday's meeting show interest in becoming an Emmaus Rotarian. Please follow up with them and see if they would like Rick or JP to contact them for more information and how easy the process is to become a Rotarian! We have very exciting programs ahead so keep those invites going. See you Thursday! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President |
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Letters to Santa via Emmaus Rotary  A few photos of some of the Emmaus Rotarians this weekend. Emmaus Rotary had a Letters to Santa table which was very busy. Thanks to all who came out to support a very successful evening.   |
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International Women's Day Nomination FormsThe nomination forms are up on the ERC website. From emmausrotary.org at the main menu at the top, click "Events" and then click "Women's Day". Links for the nomination forms are listed there as well as some information on the event. Here is the link> http://www.emmausrotary.org/page/international-womens-day-celebration Each Rotarian can only submit one nomination, however, you can edit and update the form as much as you would like before the application deadline. Any questions, please let me know! Valerie |
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Congratulations Valerie!  |
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President's Message.png) Hello Emmaus Rotary!!! I hope everyone had a fantastic and well rested Thanksgiving holiday!! I know I did! Honestly, I had a really hard time firing up all the cylinders on Monday. Brain function was at minimal capacity. But that is what holidays are about. Digging in to what really matters; The Three F's: Family, Fun and FOOD!!!!! So back to reality. This Thursday is bring a guest day! Every ERC Member that shows up with a guest will receive a FREE breakfast for both themselves and their guest! Who have you reconnected with over the last week that would benefit and be could benefit from joining our club? Give them a ring now and invite them to Thursday's meeting. You know they will be impressed and want to be part of something great. It is the same thing you experienced when someone invited you to a meeting. Lots going on. There are a ton of opportunities to be part of ERC service this month. Keep your eyes peeled for emails. Looking forward to seeing everyone and their guests this Thursday! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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President's MessageHello Emmaus Rotary, We will have our Board Meeting early this month because of Thanksgiving! Please make note our November Board meeting is this Thursday, November 21, 2019 immediately following our regular meeting. All Committee Chairs are encouraged to attend. Also, all Emmaus Rotary Members may attend because Board Meetings are considered make ups!! See you Thursday. Here is our agenda:  Steve Gould 2019-2020 Emmaus Rotary President
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2020 Weekly Programs Prep 2 Thanks to everyone who completed my program inventory questionnaire at the last meeting. On December 5 I'll ask that everyone else complete it so that I have information about programs going into 2020 from everyone…hint---I think that there are quite a few members with interesting hobbies/interests who could do very interesting and informative programs! We also have a number of new Rotarians who need to do their classification talks.....thanks to those who already completed the questionnaire, some very good topics and suggestions.
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary, Rotary International is changing. Or maybe the word is adapting. Rotary like other service organizations around the world are fighting attrition. Rotary is adapting to the changes we are challenged with to grow our clubs, and Rotary as a whole, by attracting new members. Along with this adaptation, takes By-Law and Constitution Amendments to the governing documents of local Rotary Clubs and Rotary International. And there is a process that must be strictly adhered to. With that said, Sharon Rittenhouse has sent out a Membership video on Rotary to explain how Rotary International has been adapting to change in the effort to expand and grow our clubs. Please click on the link below and watch a very short video. Mark your calendars on Thursday, December 5, 2019 as the Board of Directors has approved every Emmaus Rotarian who brings a guest on this date, will receive a free breakfast along with their guest. Here is a chance to meet our goal of every Emmaus Rotarian bringing one guest this Rotary year. No excuses now since the reward is a free breakfast on this morning. Please make your 2019-2020 President proud and show me how much Emmaus Rotary means to you! Steve Gould, 2019-2020 ERC President
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Foundation Program Meeting this Week   There will be a Foundation program this week so all Paul Harris members are expected to wear their Paul Harris medallions.
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Dues Invoices Coming SoonIn mid November, Emmaus Rotary Club dues invoices will be sent out by email. Some people pay their whole year dues in June and don’t owe dues now in November. So don’t send in a check if you don’t get an invoice. Thanks for paying your dues by December 15th.
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary and welcome to November!!! Time is flying this Rotary year. A lot has happened to date, and there is much more to come. November is Rotary's Foundation Month and District 7430 is a strong supporter of District Grants. This past Saturday, November 2nd our District offered Rotary Foundation Seminar and Grant Training at Montgomery County Community College. I know Cindy Hornaman attended and I hope others did as well. I encourage anyone intrigued by the Rotary Foundation to talk to Cindy as she has been involved in our clubs grants since I have been a member. The basis behind how it works is the funds we donate eventually come back to the District and our Club for local and international projects. The leverage is amazing and our club has created very impressive projects that have improved many lives all over the world. Ask long time members around our club about Gul Asnani's India project...it will blow your mind how impactful these grants can be. Keep your eyes on www.rotary.org and learn more about Rotary Foundation Month. See you Thursday
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Fellowship Thank You and More Coming!Our next Fellowship event will be Saturday, November 30 for Small Business Saturday. We have reserved 10 tote bags with Emmaus Main Street Partners. These tote bags are filled with coupons, freebies, promotional items, etc. from our surrounding local businesses. We as a group will plan to pickup the bags Saturday morning, walk around to the local shops, and grab lunch together at an eatery downtown. Reach out to Meghan or Ashley if you're interested in participating. We will have up to 10 bags reserved, past those 10 bags, you'll have to register through the link (to come at a later time).
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The Right Stuff!   Two of our favorite programs throughout the year are inducting new members and recognizing perfect attendance, both of which were capably facilitated by Rotarian JP Raynock last week. The meeting began with a rousing group sing-along of R-O-T-A-R-Y leading into the presentation of new members and their sponsors – Steve Stauffer (Steve Gould), Patrick McNealis (Rick Zayaitz), Shannon Boyle-Schuster (JP Raynock) and Wade George (Ashley Lorah). Unfortunately, only Wade could be present for the induction, but, please introduce yourself to the new members in the coming meetings. It's interesting that in a new era when there isn't an attendance requirement we still have members with perfect attendance! At this meeting JP recognized Cindy Hornaman and Don Blose for three years, Dale Dries for 47 and Wilmer Schultz for a league leading 67 years! Congratulations to all four for this exceptional achievement. |
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MADD about Miracle League   Many, many thanks to the Interact students and Rotarians who help out at the ball games for MADD...you are the best!
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President's Message Hey Emmaus Rotary!!!! Guess what Thursday is??? Halloween!!!!(Hint, Hint, Hint) Lets get festive!!! According to my sources (Google) Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. So...... Do you dare to ward off the ghosts at Emmaus Rotary at this Thursday's meeting? It could be worth some bling dollars to the Sergeant at Arms!!! Have you had a chance to see the updates Valerie Daneen posted on our website www.emmausrotary.org? Check it out. She did a great job making it current. Thanks Valerie for all your hard work this Rotary Year. Also, thank you to the Board of Directors and others who joined in at the ERC Board Meeting last week. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, even though we ran a bit over the 1 hour allotted time. With that said, we are gaining ground on getting things accomplished and gaining the transparency our club deserves. Thanks for a great meeting. I look forward to November's Board meeting. Remember, it counts as a makeup!! Lets have some fun this Thursday!!! See you all then. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President |
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MADD 10.19.19 in pictures   .jpg) .jpg)  It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words so here is MADD in pictures. Many thanks to everyone who banded together to make a difference in our community last weekend...more pictures are at the ERC website page.
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October 24, 2019 BOD Agenda |
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Oregonians Visit for Rotary Friendship Exchange  It's always a special treat when we have visitors from outside our area visit us, stay with our Rotary families and tell us a bit about themselves and their clubs. Such was the case last week when members of some Oregon clubs visited and shared with us. Many thanks to the Rotarians who opened their homes and their lives to these exceptional people.
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President's Message Greetings Emmaus Rotary, This Thursday October 24, 3019 is not only The Emmaus Rotary Club's Celebration Day to honor those members with 100% attendance, it is also World Polio Day 2019. Thousands of Rotary Clubs across the globe are holding fundraisers and creating awareness in the effort to eradicate this disease once and for all. According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative(GPEI), there were 16 WPV1 cases reported in 2019, down from 21 reported in 2018. So we're getting close!!!! To learn more, visit www.polioeradication.org. I missed last weeks meeting because i was out of town for a work related conference. I'm sorry I missed the Oregon Friendship Exchange Team however I am hearing it was a great meeting. Thank you to Lexa for taking the helm while I was gone. Also, a huge THANKS to Karen Hobson and Nicole Steirer, Co-Chairpersons for Community Service and all those who volunteered for facilitating another successful Make A Difference Day. It was fun to see the trickle in of exhausted Emmaus Rotarians at the parade after-party. I had a bunch of fun and I know those who stopped in shared some laughs and good times as well. There is a Board Meeting immediately following Thursday's meeting. Please remember all members are welcome to attend(this is counted as a makeup). We do ask all Committee Chairs to report to the meeting for a quick update if needed. Thanks everyone. See you soon. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President |
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Halloween at the Emmaus Library!It’s time for some Hocus Pocus and Fellowship! Please join us on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 from 6pm - 9pm at the Emmaus Public Library for pumpkin painting, treats, and the family favorite Halloween movie Hocus Pocus! This Fellowship event is FREE! In the spirit of service over self, anyone who would like to contribute their decorated pumpkin back to the committee, we will take them to The Legend of Allentown Assisted Living Facility to brighten their day. Bring yourself, bring your family, maybe invite your best friend or a prospective new member for a festive evening of fellowship for all ages. What a fun way to build goodwill and better friendships. RSVP to Meghan Reed via email at MeghanReed517@gmail.com or call/text 610-737-5942 Many thanks to our local Aldi grocery store who generously donated 30 pumpkins and our committee members for contributing snacks. Your Friends in Rotary, Fellowship Co-Chairs Meghan Reed and Ashley Lorah and your Fellowship Committee |
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary! We have a lot going on so please stay tuned in to the Weekly Trumpet Newsletter where you will find all the information needed to get involved. This month is packed full of great activities and community support. World Polio Day is Thursday October 24, 2019. Our Rotary District 7430's way of raising funds to Fight for the End of Polio hosts a Purple Pinkie Race. This year the 9th Annual Race to ZERO Purple Pinkie 5K Run & 1 + Mile Fun Walk/Run will be held this Saturday, October 12th, 2019 at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville, PA! Join in the fun and do not miss out on this incredible endeavor to End Polio Worldwide! Saturday October 19, 2019 is Emmaus Rotary Make a Difference Day(MADD). Contact Nicole Steirer and Karen Hobson, Community Service Chairman to learn how you can get involved. There are activities planned for the entire day. On that note, all Rotarians are welcome to stop into my office at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Valley Partners 232 Main Street Emmaus for our Annual Emmaus Halloween Parade Party that starts at 7:00 PM. Last year we had a swarm of yellow vested volunteers stop in for some food and drink after walking along side the Parade. Also this Saturday October 12, 2019 is The Miracle League Games. This event is part of MAD Day and Bob Halsey needs volunteers to help out for 3 different games. If you have never been to The Miracle League, it is eye opening, humbling and a great way help those Miracle League Baseball Players hit home runs. I promise it will change your prospective on how you can change lives. Thanks to Bob for dedicating so much of his time to the incredible organization. Have fun everyone! Looking forward to seeing you this Thursday!!!! Steve Gould 2019-2020 Emmaus Rotary President  |
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A Note from Chris Wills, ERC Treasurer As was discussed at the last board meeting, I was instructed to provide a general summary regarding the current ERC bank account balance which at a quick glance may seem unusually high. A quick summary is as follows:
Operations – Checking (balance net of reserve) $23,270 Cash reserve Total balance in checking Note that as the funds related to the “carryover projects” are spent, the amount of the cash reserve will be reduced accordingly. Please free feel to speak to any officer, board member or myself if you have questions. |
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District Governor Herb Klotz Visits ERC
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President's Message Good Day ERC!! Anyone want to hop on a plane and visit Kenya? Well guess what? You can because you have family there!!! Peter Ng'ang'a will visit our club one more time this Thursday before he departs for his homeland of Kenya. Every time Peter comes home to the U.S.A., he graces us with his fine presence of wisdom, humor and most importantly, his Rotary Spirit. As an Educationist, Psychologist, Trainer and Rotarian, Peter has blessed everyone he comes in contact with. So please make sure to make this Thursday's meeting so we can give him a warm Emmaus Rotary Farewell (For Now) as he makes his way back across the globe. And in Peter's words, "Time and Opportunity Come to Everyone!" Thank you Peter for visiting us and we all look forward to seeing you again soon in the future. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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Can Tabs for the Miracle League Just a reminder to bring all your can tabs from soda, beer, tuna fish, sardine, dog and cat food cans to Rotary especially for the next 4-weeks. The baseball season will end on 10/19/19 and I would like to take the 2+ gallon jars (maybe we can still fill a couple more jars) I have so far to the Miracle League on the last Saturday, October 19TH. I will continue accepting tabs after that date for next year’s collection. |
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Happy Birthday US Constitution! Rotarian Doug Reichley gave an interesting presentation about the 230th birthday of the United States Constitution. It was a fast-paced overview of the beginning of this amazing document evolving from the Articles of Confederation in 1775 to what we have today. The Articles of Confederation had a weak central government with stronger states’ rights but had no common currency, ability to raise taxes, no regulation of commerce and other important necessities for a country that was growing. Judge Reichley went on to review how Jefferson and Madison stepped in to propose a new framework for government which was supported by some by not by the Anti-Federalists leading to friction among the states until a constitutional convention is held in 1787 and eventually the new constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788 and in September, 1789 12 amendments were proposed and ten ratified to form the Bill of Rights. |
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Miracle League Activities - An Update MIRACLE LEAGUE ACTIVITIES / Submitted By Bob Halsey #1 – We Still need 6 or 7 more Volunteers for the Baseball Games on Saturday, October 12TH. The Games start at 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM & 1:00 PM. We will have sign-up sheets on the Tables this week at Rotary for you to Sign-Up. Please try to check your schedules to see if you are available for the last Baseball Games at the Miracle League until next year. This will be part of our Club's Make a Difference Day. Please come about 15 minutes early and wear your green Emmaus Rotary Works tee shirt. #2 – Please Remember to bring any Tabs you have from Soda, Beer, Tuna Fish, Sardines, Soup & Cat & Dog Food Cans to Rotary THIS WEEK, OCTOBER 10TH. I will be taking them to the Miracle League on Saturday, October 12TH. #3 – Please bring Halloween Packaged Candy (Or Put a Cash Donation in the Jar on the Registration Desk at Rotary This Week) to be used in Our Trick or Treat Booth at the Miracle League’s Halloween Night on Wednesday Night October 23, 2019. Our Booth will be operated by the Emmaus HS Interact Club, assisted by Tony Moyer. |
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ClubRunner for EveryoneLast week we were treated to a presentation about using ClubRunner by John Chisca and Eileen Prokop. We all have access to ClubRunner which has loads of information for us as Rotarians. Perhaps most importantly we were reminded about how to log in...it's our firstname.lastname.6560 and Service 1 is the password. Once in you can go to your profile and change the password if you want to. One of several areas that can be extremely helpful is the View Club Directory. This is a list of all club members and has contact information that we all seem to need at some time...no need to print out the club roster spreadsheets anymore! This area should be very helpful to committee chairs who, hopefully, will be able to build committee rosters there. Sending emails is also an option to all of us just by following the step by step instructions. There is also a very large area for club documents if you're looking for past newsletters, by-laws, etc. A very important place to visit periodically is checking your club attendance at My Attendance. We should all be striving for perfect attendance so click on the My Attendance link on the left side and you'll have an immediate look at how you're doing thanks to Jim Palmquist. The presentation had quite a bit of detail about the functionality of ClubRunner and this member's suggestion is to review the meeting via this link to the video https://www.dropbox.com/s/kn0g3gpg583lqvc/IMG_6940.MOV?dl=0. Also, don't be afraid to just go in and wander around to see what's there...you may be surprised. Also, sorry, no pictures. I was so engrossed in the presentation that I forgot to take pictures! ) |
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Fun at the Iron Pigs Game...Oink Yeah! .JPG)   .JPG) .JPG) |
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Golf Tournament Sponsors and Foursomes NeededWe are getting closer and NEED YOUR SUPPORT: ERC Golf Tournament Sept. 9th @ Brookside C.C. The list of golfers is getting longer please consider sponsoring, golfing or BOTH
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ERC BOD Meeting Agenda August 22, 2019Emmaus Rotary Club Board of Directors Meeting – Agenda Thursday, Aug 22, 2019 Call to Meeting to Order Motion to Approve BOD Agenda Motion to Approve July 25, 2019 BOD Minutes Secretary’s Report Jim Palmquist Treasurer’s Report Chris Wills Committee Reports Communications Public Relations – John Chisca & Eileen Prokop Community Service – Karen Hobson & Nicole Steirer Fellowship – Meghan Reed & Ashley Lorah Foundation International – Bill Erdman & Cindy Hornaman Fundraising - Beef N Beer – Bryce Ruggieri Fundraising - Golf Tournament – John Zayaitz & Mario Cozzubo Fundraising - Motorcycle Poker Run – Mark Erle Membership – Rick Zayaitz & JP Raynock Social Media – Valerie Deneen Women’s International Day – Alicia Ruiz-Orbin Youth – Anthony Moyer Youth Exchange – Rose Galeano-Phillips Old Business
New Business
Motion to Adjourn AGENDA SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE TO MEMBERSHIP BETWEEN TRUMPET POSTING AND BOARD MEETING |
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President's MessageGreetings Emmaus Rotarians, Another week has passed! It is amazing how quickly everything is moving anymore. With that said, we are just about to the end of our second month of this 2019-2020 Rotary Year. That only means one thing, everyone has 10 more months to contemplate who their 1 best guest is to invite to one of our meetings. Remember, it's an easy pitch!!! """Can I treat you to breakfast at Brookside Country Club this Thursday to meet some people making a difference in the world!""" Who would not take you up on that. Committees continue to grow. I am so appreciative for those who have signed on to a committee and are getting engaged outside of our weekly meetings. Committees are truly the essence of the Rotary experience and the organize and make our efforts reality. We will be having the sign up sheets there for another few weeks so those of you who have not chosen a committee, please take some time to sign up so you can be part of the communications between the committee members. Reminder to all, there is a Board Meeting, this Thursday August 22, 2019 directly following the general meeting. All are welcome and it is another way you can make up a meeting you may have missed. All the best. Looking forward to seeing everyone Thursday. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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Fellowship Committee Yard Sale SocializerRotary Fellowship Committee at Emmaus Community Yard Sale COME – SELL – SOCIALIZE! September 7, 2019 from 8am – 4pm Better Homes & Gardens Valley Partners Office 232 Main St. Emmaus, PA 18049 Come for the whole thing or just part! We will have tables that you may set your items on. You are responsible for taking home your items if they have not sold. We will provide price stickers to those participating. 100% sales will be donated to ERC Scholarship Fund. LET US KNOW YOU’RE PARTICIPATING BY Thurs Aug 29th! |
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President's Message Hey Emmaus Rotary!!! Guess what month it is?? August is Rotary's Membership Month!!! Believe it or not, I found the above image which is perfect for one of this year's membership initiatives. "Each One, Bring One" is actually an existing Rotary tag line. I promise I didn't make this up!!!! There are others out there that understand that everyone's Rotary Journey begins by being invited to a meeting. Who do you know in your life that needs some networking, wants to give back to the community and is a go-getter? We all know them! So let's do it. I encourage each Emmaus Rotarian to take some time and write down some names of individuals you feel would be great Rotarians and reach out to them. The ask is easy. Who would not want to take advantage of having a free breakfast and meeting the great members at Emmaus Rotary? Remember, our goal is for every Emmaus Rotary member to bring at least one guest to a breakfast meeting in the 2019-2020 Emmaus Rotary year. This Thursday's meeting we will induct some super new members to our club. This meeting represents the essence of why and how Rotary grows. Please come out to welcome our newest members. See you Thursday. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary, Thank you to everyone who attended last week's Board of Directors meeting. When you think you know what you’re doing and are fully prepared, reality hits!!! Last week was the first time I ran a Board Meeting....check that off the list! What a challenge from sitting on the sidelines...motion this, second that, discussion, call for the question....When? Man what a ride! I took good notes so the next Board meeting may seem like your President has done this before. Either way, I am really enjoying the opportunity to lead our club through a successful year. And I’ll make a Motion and Second that!!! :) I again encourage all Emmaus Rotarians to sign up and get involved with the committees. So far sign ups have been healthy and many of you have joined several committees. Thank you. You will certainly heighten your experience in the ERC by getting involved in service work. See you all Thursday. Not sure what I have tucked up my sleeve for this week, however, I’m sure it will be something to create some raised eyebrows! Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President |
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President's MessageHello ERC!!! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed the Subterranean like weather last week. Looks like we have nice weather in the week ahead. Last week’s Club Assembly meeting was packed with great information from our Committee Chairs. Hopefully everyone benefited from the descriptive information how the heart of our club really operates. Getting involved with committees is truly the essence of being an impactful member of Emmaus Rotary and Rotary International. Without engaging in these committees, you are truly only paying for ERC dues and breakfast once a week. Serving committees will strengthen your fellowship, provide you with fulfillment through Rotary's mission and change yours and many lives around you. For those of you who were not in attendance last week, we will have committee sign-up sheets the next several meetings. Do not miss out on the real Rotary Experience. They will be located right inside the door on the right. Board of Directors meeting this Thursday July 25, 2019 immediately following the general meeting. ALL MEMBERS are welcome to attend. This is a great way for make ups and to see what happens on the Board level. You will notice in this Trumpet that the Board Meeting Agenda has been posted. We are hoping to become more transparent in how the ERC operates. This should have a positive influence on the future of our club and the leaders to come!!! See you Thursday. Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President |
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President's Message Hello Emmaus Rotary I hope everyone is having a great week. Thank you to Ashley Lorah who gave an inspiring classification talk last Thursday. I was sorry I was unable to see in person, however the efforts of John Chisca and others have not gone unseen. Thank you John for creating a way to make and preserve Emmaus Rotary history by videoing our weekly meetings. YouTube is a great way to see what you missed and now another way to get in make ups. Check out Ashley's presentation at https://youtu.be/P2VYFQ5eits Club Assembly this Thursday. Get involved and see what's cooking at Emmaus Rotary Club. For those new members, Club Assembly is all about reviewing the year ahead and learning how you can make an impact through your membership at Emmaus Rotary. You don't want to miss it!!!!! See you all Thursday Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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D7430 Phillies Phans and Strike-Out Hunger Dear Rotarians, Come join D7430 Phillies Phans and Strike-Out Hunger at the 35th Annual Game on Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 7:05 pm, as our Phillies play the Chicago Cubs. The success the Phillies have had selling tickets this year has made seating in some sections limited. Because of their commitment to Rotary, there will be plenty of good seats available. I urge you to get your ticket orders in early. Thanks to your participation, the RI Foundation has benefitted by over $1 million to help eradicate Polio, and thousands of pounds of food have been contributed to Local Food Banks. |
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President's Message Hola desde Sunny, caliente y húmeda Riveria Maya México!!! I am enjoying my vacation in Riveria Maya Mexico with my family and extended family. We are having a blast and I would say on day 5 I am about completely decompressed. Rotary International is everywhere! I was at breakfast yesterday morning and walked by a table and heard the words, "Have you ever heard of Rotary International? I was an exchange student through this club." I just smiled and walked past. Was that a sign? Either way this incredible organization is all around us and continues to make the world a better place. Best wishes to Ashley Lorah at this week's ERC meeting as she presents her classification talk. It is always my favorite presentation to attend as I really enjoy getting to know the members and their story. Sorry I am going to miss it Ashley. I will be sure to watch the video on YouTube upon my return. I am very proud and honored to be your 2019-2020 ERC President. The changeover was one of the neatest days I have experienced in a very long time, if not the best of the best. Congratulations to Rick Zayaitz our Immediate Past President. Rick was and continues to be an incredible leader in Emmaus Rotary. I feel blessed to follow his tenure and know we will proceed with his endeavors to make our community and world a better place. Thank you Rick! Have a great week everyone. See you all on July 18th for The Club Assembly. Lots to review and many to honor. Please do your best to attend this meeting. All the best Steve Gould 2019-2020 ERC President
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Last Meeting for Plant-A-Row Donations!   Gardeners - please bring washed and packaged food from your gardens this week. Tony Moyer will take our surplus to the Food Bank after the meeting. THIS IS THE LAST WEEK FOR PLANT A ROW DONATIONS....Thanks to all who participated!
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Scholarship Winners Each year the ERC Youth Committee votes on the scholarship candidates who are all members of the EHS Interact Club. Here is the list of this year's scholarship recipients...each one received $1,000: Maxwell Hafner – Political Science and Physics Major – Interact Club Member for 4 years - 4–Way Speech Contest Participant for 3 years – 4.3 GPA Camryn Griffon – Neuroscience Major – Interact Club Member for 3 years – 4.4 GPA Darci Ott – Biology Major – Interact Club Member for 4 years – Camp Neidig Participant – 4.2 GPA Mira Inaoka – Biology Major – Interact Club Member for 3 years – Held office of Secretary and President – 4.0 GPA |
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Remembrance Garden Brick after this MeetingWe will install a brick for Rotarian Esther Rowland at the Remembrance Garden immediately following the meeting on July 11. Please attend if you can even if you didn't know Esther. Thanks to Bob Halsey for making the arrangements.
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My Last Meeting as Rotary President Remember the 4th of July and why we celebrate!!! The bittersweet last meeting of my Presidency. We are a family, sometimes we are a little dysfunctional, however, the love, commitment and the focus on a common good trumps all of these familiar qualities. I had the most amazing year being the President of our club. I learned a lot of things, I had a lot of help from everyone and grew as a Rotarian. From the executive committee which helped formulate ideas to the Board who tried to keep me on the straight and narrow we had fun. We did an amazing amount of work this year for our community from helping out with Das Auch Fest, the car show, Emmaus Halloween Parade both in it and cleaning up after it, the Miracle (thank you Uncle Bob Halsey) League, helping the 3 families at Christmas from our school district, working together as Area 1 partners with Second Harvest Food Bank, planning how to feed the East Penn Students this summer and on and on. We are a group of like minded individuals that come together once a week to be educated either on another Rotarian (classification talk) or on a charitable group trying to make their common goal known and asking for our help. We do have some differences, but I am glad to say for the most part we can work through them and remain a family. The Rotary family is unlike any other family. You will find (if you look hard enough) a Rotarian almost everywhere you go either in this country or another. We are everywhere, 1.25 Million strong. I am very proud of our family, we work hard together, we play hard and we get things accomplished. Thank you to each and everyone of you for participating in our club for this Rotary year. Thank you to the best board ever, the best group of hard working volunteers I have ever had the pleasure of serving with and continue to serve with. 2018-19 was very good and we get to give Steve a gift of 95 people that want to help him continue on this journey of Service Above Self. Next week is the fourth of July, enjoy the moment, remember what the day is all about and then embrace your individual families and thank them for being a part of your life. We are all truly blessed in one way or another and for that I give thanks. Enjoy, and I will see you in the next Rotary year when on July 18th our new President will give his first quarterly club assembly. Thank you for the ride. Yours in Service Rick Zayaitz
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Emmaus Flag Day Program June 14Emmaus Rotarians: You are invited to attend the Emmaus Flag Day Program Friday, June 14 at Emmaus Community Park. The Program begins at 6:00 PM and will be held in the Arts Pavilion at Community Park which is near the swimming pool. Next year our club will be in charge of this tradition. Thanks, Red, white and blue Sue |
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Unofficial Start of Summer I hope everyone enjoyed the unofficial start of summer this weekend. Beautiful sunsets to be had by all. We are ending our journey together with a lot of new ideas, hopes, and dreams to pass onto the next administration. I am looking at our annual goals and I would like everyone to look at their Foundation giving for the year. If you have not given, please consider giving at least $5, as it is the foundation that gives us the monies to eventually do a lot of the wonderful giving to our own community and for our global grants. I appreciate everyone that has helped bring a new person to our cub this year. We are close to achieving our goals of member retention and member additions. Thank you to all of our new members for making Rotary your home for your service time. We have enjoyed a year of interesting, passionate, knowledgeable and controversial speakers. We have always tried to keep our speakers as non-partisan as possible. I look forward to a new year to see what new and passionate speakers we will see next year. Our rules will not change for speakers, non-partisan, non-religious, (unless specifically asked) and affiliated to a 501C3 or non-profit. As we look forward to next year I want to say a special thank you to everyone who has made this year entertaining, thoughtful, motivating, and especially rewarding for me and our executive committee. All organizations have issues and it is my belief that it is how they handle the issues that makes or breaks a club. Next week we will vote on adding a new member group to our community. The East Penn Employees and Staff member group. I realize that this is a new concept. We are adding the East Penn School District for new opportunities for our club and for value. It will give us the opportunity to have a new membership classification, along with new ideas. I do realize we are starting them off at a significantly lower membership level. First they will not be attending 75% of our meetings because they are developing youthful minds on a Thursday morning. We look forward to them coming to our morning when time allows in the summer months, to see what we do and how we do it. Rotary International is looking for ways to expand our clubs and reach our potential. This type of membership is happening all over the district and all over the world. Our group will again be the first of its kind that actually invites their school district employees and staff to be part of Rotary. We are always within our Rotary International boundaries when we look to do something new in our club. |
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Valerie Deneen and our Rotary Toolbox.JPG) Rotarian Valerie Deneen talked to us last week about thinking about Rotary Solutions to attracting new members. We were reminded that 90% of new members are recruited by word of mouth and that we should think about the word triggers to use when talking to prospective members. The triggers should be repeatable, relevant, reasonable and remarkable. Examples were usefulness, generosity, empathy, speed and attitude. We finished by working at our tables to come up with ideas for us to use going forward and together we were able to brainstorm over 20 creative ways to help spread the word about Rotary.
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Remembering those that gave the ultimate sacrifice Hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful weekend!!! While we enjoyed ourselves with the beautiful weather this weekend I hope you had the opportunity to reflect on the men and women that gave us the freedom to enjoy weekends like this. Emmaus had a wonderful Memorial Day parade from the High School to the triangle at 4th and North st. They took the time to remember all that gave from our community. The list was long, and sad but made me proud to be from a community that remembers those who lost their lives to give us the freedoms we enjoy every day. This Thursday if you have a minute when you come into our meeting take a moment and say thank you to anyone in our club that has served. I had several WWII veterans that worked with me when I had my business. One of the finest was Frank, who is now in the Mosser Nursing facility with his wife Betty and probably will be for some time to come. I can remember walking into my church and listening to Frank and the other WWII vets talking about the good exploits of the war. They always stayed away from the memories that created the depression soldiers feel after they return home. We owe so much to these men and women that have given so much. To say we appreciate what they gave is a understatement but a firm thank you certainly goes a long way to easing some of those memories they keep hidden within themselves.
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Paul Harris to Chris Wills Many thanks to our Rotarian friend Chris Wills for his many years of faithful service as the Treasurer of the ERC. His monthly reports and ability to talk knowledgeably about the financial status of our club is truly appreciated by all of us and the Paul Harris is well deserved for his service above self. |
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Elementary Children's Books NeededPlease bring any used children’s books k-3 and 3-5 to our Rotary meetings for the next 4 weeks. These books will be used and donated as a part of our Feeding East Penn School District summer reading and food program at Lincoln Elementary School. Sal Verrastro will collect them for us and our club will be distributing them to needy children in the East Penn School District.
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Articles for the NewsletterAs your editor I'm very pleased that we have lots of information to share each week. All is going well, but, this is a reminder that all requests for articles to be included in the newsletters should come to me at mgwaddx@gmail.com. This gives me an opportunity to ask questions about your submissions and make sure that you've included everything pertinent to your topic...thanks.
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Rotarians and Opioids in New EnglandThis is a story about how Rotarians turned to solutions because of addiction. If we all can remember back several months ago we had a female speaker talk about the effects of opioids, not only on the person using, or the family, or the deaths of loved ones but the effects it can have on whole communities. We have all probably seen someone or know of someone dealing with these issues. It is not from a poor family upbringing, it is not peer pressure, it is everything life can throw at you and more. Take a moment and read about what some New England Rotarians have done to help change the stigma and then get results. This is an excerpt from the article found in MY Rotary. If you are inclined to want to read more, please copy and paste the address above into your browser window. I think you will be amazed how we can help. Fathers turn pain into healing solutionsRotary members destigmatize opioid recoveryBy Arnold R. Grahl Photos by Alyce Henson
A father’s concern and fear propelled sleepless Ben Lowry, an attorney in Portland, Maine, out into the streets one evening searching for his eldest son. Just a year earlier, his son had been in college studying engineering when he began using drugs, including opioids. Lowry’s family spent more than $100,000 on treatment and recovery programs before Lowry gave his son an ultimatum: stop using or move out. His son moved out. Now, hearing the wail of sirens on this cold fall night, Lowry feared the worst. “Someone said there was an overdose nearby, and I hurried over, thinking it was my son,” Lowry said, his voice cracking with emotion. “There was a young woman dead in the street, probably in her 20s. It’s a very difficult thing to see, especially when your son is living out there.” https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-members-seek-community-solutions-opioid-epidemic |
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Sinha Speaks on "Mindfulness"
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Community Service at Its Finest -- 22 Rotarians and Family Strong
 Emmaus Rotarians and their family members put in 2 hours of labor at Hillside School on Saturday morning, May 18th. Mulching and edging beds, planting in new native plants and grasses, washing windows and building community. This year, Rotary was able to do a little more as Hillside School got a grant for campus beautification. Dee Eng designed the new beds and her spouse Gary brought a truck load of mulch. While veterans knew what to expect, this was their first community service project for several of our newest members. Gary Guthrie continues his stellar oversight of our Community Service Committee. Hillside School provided coffee and donuts. And what do you think? Will our sargent at arms fine John Chisca for a photo bomb? LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and see more photos from Saturday's project.
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VOTE for best "Rotarian Gothic" Recall the iconic painting by Grant Wood titled American Gothic. Got it? (Help: The farm couple side by side in front of their barn and he is holding a pitch fork.) We had a similar sighting Saturday while Emmaus Rotary was landscaping at Hillside School. Look closely and vote for one: CRAIG REBER  JOHN CHISCA  |
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Our Rotary Family Two weeks ago, I talked about family, friends and seeing heaven on earth. We just returned from Folly Beach SC where the weather is warm the people are wonderful and the food and entertainment are second to none. Reminds me of our Rotary family where we look forward to meeting our friends each and every week where we converse about what we are doing and how we can change the world. As we come to the end of another Rotary year, I am thinking about the goals we set as a club for this year. Rotary ends its year on June 30, 2019. We will have a new President with new goals for the 19-20 Rotary year. Each year the President talks about our foundation and our giving as a Club to our Foundation. We can participate in EREY(Every Rotarian Every Year) where for a $100 donation we will place a sticker on your name badge so everyone knows you are giving to the foundation. Our goal was modest this year. I am asking if each of our members could at least give a small donation to the foundation before June 1, 2019. I am not concerned about our goal of $18,000, I am concerned that we have enough money to apply for our grants in the years to come to make our projects a reality. You see for the seed you plant this year(giving) we will see the reward(grant monies) in three years to help with projects for that Rotary year. As a family we all want to see our assets used wisely and help where we can for the good of human kind. Last week we had special guests visiting from Britain and I was so pleased that we gave them our warmest welcome. This week when you are going around the room take a moment and thank Cindy for a wonderful conference, thank Sue and Eric for all the behind the scenes work they did to make Friday, Saturday and Sunday a reality. Then tell Steve he did an exemplary job of MCing the event. Last but not least thank Lexa for the work she did on Sunday Morning. I am proud of our club and proud of our members who take the time from their busy schedules to give back . Your in Service, Rick
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Friendship Exchange - A British Invasion! Thursday, May 9, 2019, Emmaus Rotary hosted Rotarians from North East England for breakfast at Brookside Country Club. This was part of a reciprical Rotary Friendship Exchange between Districts 1030 and 7430. With good humor, the English told us about themselves, their families, their several Rotary clubs and the service projects they are involved in currently.  It was both heart wrenching and inspiring to learn about the work their district is doing for the "Chernobyl Children" who live in a radioactive wasteland in Belarus. Alan and Vera Wade, from Stockton, knew they had to act after reading a 3 inch article in their local newspaper. Children visit in England for one month where they receive medical care, TLC, clothing, etc. This short visit adds years to their lives. Rotary also is partnering with other groups and individuals to send caravans with medical supplies, food and clothing into Belarus. Recently, the effort has led them all into providing hospice care and supplies. |
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Emmaus Rotary Club Dues Due NOWEmmaus Rotary Club dues are $220 per year or $110 per half year. The Club Secretary sends a statement of dues due in mid-May. They are due to be paid by June 15. Please pay them in a timely fashion by mailing the check to Jim or giving him your check at a meeting. For May 16 and May 23, give your checks to Craig Reber as Jim Palmquist will miss those meetings. A few Rotarians have already paid the $110 upcoming dues. I will send them an email saying they do not owe dues this six months and I will not send them a statement. If you prefer a paper dues statement, you can pick them up in mid-May at the sign in table along with a self-addressed envelope to mail the check to Jim. Jim Palmquist, Secretary 610-398-3074 Jim.Palmquist01@gmail.com – prefer email |
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Food for the needy this weekIt's the first Thursday of the month so please remember to bring some non-perishable food for the Emmaus Food Bank.
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Mr. Green Beans Describes Plant a Row.JPG) Joseph Marlin, founder of Plant a Row, spoke to Emmaus Rotary on Thursday, May 18th with good humor and solid information about the hunger issues in the Lehigh Valley and one way 326 area home gardeners are helping. Marlin cited stats that 11% of PA households are food insecure, that 60,000 people in the greater Lehigh Valley area receive food assistance and that the stress increases for families with school age children in the summer. He founded "Plant a Row" in 2016 and last year 56,000 meals were donated to 15 different agencies. Rotarian Tony Moyer is a volunteer driver for the organization which is based on a national model. Local drop off points are the Emmaus Library, Emmaus Community Gardens and Bogie Community Gardens. Currently there is a need for a Wednesday driver to pick up in Emmaus. There was lively discussion about collecting garden harvests at our morning meetings after Rotarian Ralph Lewis pointed out that Plant A Row and our Rotary both bring food to the pantry at Bethel Church, Groceries PLUS, which is supported ecumenically and by numerous service organizations like scouting. Look here for future details. Marlin, who admitted to the nickname of Mr Green Beans, was introduced by Rotarian Valerie Deneen whose husband Mark, also at our breakfast meeting, had worked with Marlin. Joseph Marlin lives in Hellertown where he is a volunteer firefighter. He is a data engineer at PP & L.
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Family Leaving on a jet plane to go see my nephew get married on a beach somewhere in South Carolina near water and sand. But it reminds me how important our family is to each one of us. To me Rotary is my extended family. Sometimes we all work together, sometimes we all go in different directions but we are all doing it for a common cause. The Rotary family is a dedicated one. We help in our own communities, our regions and around the world. This weekend we need everyone's help to promote the Craig Thatcher band at Miller's Symphony Hall. It is dedicated to help the hungry in all of District 7430's club regions. Let us show how a family can come together to get the word out. With two days left to go and it would be great if it was a sold out show. Work your networks, talk to family and friends and do not forget to bring a food item to share with someone less fortunate than your family. We love our family and our extended families so please help where you can and take the time to thank Cindy, Eric, Sue, Valerie, Mark, John, Mike and all our helpful volunteers that have helped make District Governor's Cindy Hornaman's District conference the huge success it will be. Enjoy this experience it will be like no other you will have in Rotary unless you attend an international conference. Have fun and learn a lot about your self and the Rotary organization. Yours in Service Ric Zayaitz |
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Bethlehem's Rotary Action Group Seeks to Expose and End Sex Trafficking Dee Dee Foran and Patrick Morgan, two members of Bethlehem Rotary's Action Group Against Sex Trafficking, spoke to fellow Emmaus Rotarians about the hard facts of this criminal enterprise, which is the fastest growing and 2nd largest in the world, and possible avenues of future work to end this slavery. Over 80 % of the people impressed into prostitution are controlled by a pimp who uses both psychological ploys and drugs to control victims. The average entry age is between 12 and 15, and the life expectancy is only 8 more years. Reports are that 100,000 US children are sexually exploited each year.  Future work for Bethlehem's RAGAST includes building awareness of this serious problem by holding public education events and speaking to other Rotary Groups; and creating a support network for victims who are rescued or come out of sex slavery., Foran, who founded the action group after learning about the seriousness of the problem at the International Rotary Conference held in Atlanta, GA, noted that a hot spot in the Lehigh Valley is in the motels near the airport. .JPG) Emmaus Rotarians Byrce Ruggiero, Steve Gould and Bob Rust are on the CP Kids (Community Partners for Kids) which is working to educate children of the danger of strangers. Future dates include: Saturday, November 9, 2019 "From Liberty to Captivity" which specifically looks at Pennsylvania as a state where human trafficking is flourishing. It will be held during the Lehigh Valley oAnti-Trafficking Awareness Week November 2-9, 2019 at the Arts Quet Banko Theatre at 12:30. Thursday, March 5, 2020 Sex Drugs, & Trafficking Symposium at Moravian College, 8:00 to 11:30 with Breakfast, keynote speaker and breakout sessions. |
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Catch the Wave~~~~District Conference Renaissance Hotel conference area Last week to register for the District Conference  Over 245 people are joining in the district adventure we call the conference. This is the last week to sign up and support our District Governor Cindy Hornaman, & District Governor elect Herb Klotz. This will be historic, go on-line and do not be left out. You can register from this website. Just click the link at the top of the page of this Trumpet. Let's support our own, Emmaus Rotarian, Cindy Hornaman (Congratulations for a great year Cindy).
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Raynock is Guest PianistCatherine Raynock, daughter of Rotarian JP Raynock, played the piano as we gathered for our regular meeting and for our opening song. Her visit was full of surprises as she won one of the raffles and used Happy Dollars to let us know that she would be participating in the "Rock a Thon" to raise money for Pediatric Cancer which is being held at St. Ann's School, Emmaus. What do you all think? Doesn't she look like a future Rotarian?  |
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Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) The Rotary Foundation begins at the club level. EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) is the local clubs addition to the International Rotary Foundation. We ask every member to give what they can. To receive the stamp on your name badge we ask for $100 and for the second stamp another $26.50 for the Arch Clump original $26.50 that started the foundation almost a century ago. To be awarded a Paul Harris a Rotarian needs to give $1,000 dollars to the Foundation. This is not a one time gift, every time you give to EREY we keep a running total and when you reach $1,000 a Paul Harris is the reward for your giving. Last year Rotary International awarded $86 million dollars to charities all over the world. We have given the monies through the local clubs, the districts, and regional Rotary organizations. When we give to the Foundation it takes three years for our club to realize the ability to get that money back in the form of grant money. This is a very simplified version of how we get the money back into our local clubs for us to decide on our own projects to support.
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Club Assembly - Rick's Final 2018-19The beauty of our organization is that Rotary is not a one man band, I could not do this without the help of the executive team, the committee chairs and everyone that is on a committee. Which means everyone is important in our organization. Steve, Lexa and Mike thank you for your leadership, council, and experience during this past nine months on the executive committee. They are the glue that holds our organization together. Our board members, Ceil, Gary, Jim, Chris, Don, Val, Sal have been an inspiration. Along with the help of J. P., Bill, Gary R, and Dale we can define our organization. A group of like minded people that wants to make Rotary the best community service club in our area. Thank you to each and everyone of you that support, help and leadership in our organization. Gary Guthrie along with Rose, Karen and Nicole continue to lead our community service committee (join them this Saturday at the Knauss homestead to help clean up the grounds). Valerie, Meghan, Ashley, Karen are our social media/Public relations team that continues to look for answers for what is the best platform to use to get our brand out to the community so everyone knows what being a Rotarian represents. Eileen keeps us connected to the community with the Angel network, we've collected everything from tuna fish to tooth paste to help others in need. JP keeps the new members coming with an always fun, informative and interesting new member initiations, with the help of Bob Rust , Bob Groeller, Bob Halsey and Valerie Deneen. Bill Erdman and Cindy Hornaman work on international relations and the foundation. Steve Gould, John Zayaitz, and Mario Cozzubbo are our fund raising team making it possible for future President's to have the financial wherewithal to complete their favorite projects. Mark Ehrle, Doug Brinker, Lisa Spradlin, John Chisca, Joe Pugliese are making the motorcycle run a viable community service project benefiting veterans. Tony Moyer, Gordon Reese are helping with our youth and the Interact club along with Larry Del Hagen and his tireless work with Camp Niedeg. Alicia along with Karen, Rose, and Sue we really appreciate the work you and your International Women's Award has meant for our community. Bryce, Steve, Don, I think the beef N Beer will be a great event. Something to build on every year to help some worthwhile project we all believe in. To some of our new members Meghan, Ashley, Mike, Joe, Galliano thank you for your help and support. This year our motto for the Rotary year was "Be the inspiration" and no one amplifies that more than our own District Governor Cindy Hornaman she works tirelessly for our organization and the more than 40 other clubs in our District. Thank you Cindy for your mentorship, leadership and friendship. Thank you to everyone in our club for making ours the best club in District 7430. May everyone have a great and warm week ahead. Sincerely, Rick Zayaitz |
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Committment Who are we? Emmaus Rotarians!!! at work, with our community. What have I noticed from the view up in the front. The tables are not filled, the room is emptier than it was 6 months ago, where has everyone gone? Rotary International for a lot of reasons lifted the restrictive membership commitments to attend 50% or more of the meetings at the club level a couple of years ago. Steve and then Lexa work relentlessly and diligently to find the best speakers for our club so that coming every week is an experience, an experience to learn....many times about something we never knew about. They find speakers that interest everyone in the club(not an easy task), and to have someone there week after week. One of the greatest and most wonderful ideas I liked and enjoyed about ROTARY at the club level is that we get together as a group of like minded individuals learning from each other and the speakers every week. When I look into the audience and only see 45 of our 94 members I cannot help to wonder where everyone has gone. I am not talking about the snow birds, or the accountants working 70-80 hours per week until tax season is over, but I can't help but wonder what we are missing that this exceptional experience we call Rotary is not enough. As a member if you don't see someone for a few weeks email them and see if there is something we can do to get them back to enjoying our meetings. Our club is for all of our members, we are a service organization, one with the best breakfast, the best leaders, and we have the most fun of all the clubs in our district. Please make an effort to renew your commitment to make as many meetings as you can. Commitment to community, to service above self and most importantly commitment to each other. Yours in Service Rick Zayaitz
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SHELTER BOXES SAVE LIVES **President Rick is asking that all members make a voluntary donation at this week's meeting that will go toward the purchase of a second Shelter Box from the ERC in an effort to help the many who need our help around the world. After checking in with his officers and board members, President Rick Zayaitz is asking all Emmaus Rotarians to contribute toward Shelter Box, each $1000 we send equips and sends one Shelter Box. Our annual budget earmarked $1000 toward Shelter Box and this money is now released and forwarded. Can we do more? ---------- Forwarded message ---------
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Listening for Understanding.... Marcie Lightwood, from the Institute for Jewish Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College, spoke about the characteristics of good dialogue. Rotarians present found it a helpful refresher on this valuable tool to build goodwill and community. Copies of her hand-outs are available by asking Lexa Shallcross. Lightwood lives in Bethlehem and is one of the voices on WDIY-FM.  |
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D- Day at Turning Point Delivery Day at Turning Point. A grand total of 36 items: comforters, blankets, bedding gratefully received from Emmaus Rotary and put up on shelves. In photo: Karen Hobson with Nicole Steirer and Andrea from Turning Point. A BIG THANKS to all Rotarians who donated items. |
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Foundation Gala This Saturday Remember to support the District Foundation and support our very own District Governor Cindy Hornaman's this Saturday at the District 7430 Foundation Gala  “Costumes for a Cause!” Saturday, March 23, 2019 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm Brookside County Club Pottstown, PA Your $50 ticket for celebrating with DG Cindy the FUN in fundraising at the Foundation Gala "Costumes for a Cause” includes dinner (choice of chicken, beef or vegetarian) and dancing. There will be opportunity to bid on silent auction baskets and participate in the 50/50 raffle. Cash bar too! Our District 7430 is very active in support of our Foundation and also involved in many TRF International and Local grant projects, We were one of the first in our zone to do a multi year Child and Maternal Health International Vocational Training Team project     and many other international projects and in the last 2 years our clubs have done over 35 District Grant humanitarian projects to benefit those less fortunate in their local communities Come and have fun and help support the Foundation at the same time. |
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The President's Message International Women's Day Emmaus Rotary celebrated their second year of awarding a district rotary woman of distinction and a community woman of distinction. Check the Trumpet's photo gallery for highlights of the morning. Emmaus Rotary celebrated International women's day with Alicia Ruiz Ortiz as the leader of the committee. Thank you to Rose and Eileen for helping with the presentation for Emmaus Rotary, and Burt Durin our immediate past President for making this celebration a possibility. Rotary International completed a week- long presentation for Women around the world. Take a moment and go to Rotary International women's day and see the changes that Rotary is helping to sustain throughout the world. We should be proud of an organization that has come so far in a little over 32 years. Is our journey together ever completed......NO but we are at the head of the class when it is necessary. I sent out an email this week to send a card to Marg Geosits. Marg was the first women ever inducted into Emmaus Rotary. Please make her feel the Rotary welcome and that her friends at Rotary are always thinking about her. Take a moment and reach out, she was a visionary for her times. I am not sure she liked the best sports teams (Yankee fan) but always made our meeting interesting jousting with other members who are Red Sox fans. This week remember the people who forged the way for each one of us in Rotary and say thank you. Have a great Rotary week. Yours in service, Rick Zayaitz
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What to Rotarians do? Sunday morning 11:15 am Rory King our leader for Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl -a -Thon gets us ready to play our game in this crowd of enthusiastic bowlers. Mike Lahanas is two lanes over more competitive than I have ever seen him trying to get his score as high as his team could possibly go. By the way, Mike is also a board member of Big Brother Big Sisters. Everyone is having a good time: Hot dogs, Popcorn, water, soft drinks with the main event to help this charity garner over $130,000 in donations for their cause. Rory is also the captain of another team of people from the Oddfellow organization. Since the Rotary team only had Noah Steirer we had to poach some other OddFellow members to participate. This is what Emmaus Rotarians do on their weekends, evenings and days off. They participate to help others have a better life. This month I will try and concentrate on the "why we as Rotarians do what we do" and the reason behind it. Most of all we all are looking to make others lives better now and in the future. I believe you will learn more about some other women in the community this week that have accomplished just that. Look forward to next week's President's message to learn about them and the award we presented. Yours in Service
Rick Zayaitz |
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President Elect Training Every year the transition of new presidents start with PETS Rotary training. The President Elect Training Seminar is a two day intensive session that takes place in King of Prussia PA under the guidance of the incoming District Governor Elect Herb Klotz. Our incoming President for the 2019-20 Rotary year Steve Gould spent two wonderful days with 230 other President's elect in Eastern Pennsylvania. Steve had time to learn what other organizations the size of ours and larger do to maintain the integrity of being Rotarians. |
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Newsletter Survey Completed...Thanks!Many thanks to the 47 ERC members who completed the newsletter survey and gave me their thoughts about what is working well and some possible changes. I'll share the overall results of the survey in another article, but, for now I am making two changes. First, the Upcoming Events in the left column will be moved up for easier access. As part of this move the Calendar of Events/Here's What's Happening at the bottom of the newsletter will be phased out as the events happen...no new items will be placed in that spot. Also, using the Events widget allows the event chairs to access some functionality to send emails, etc. that should be helpful to them. Second, |
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Rotary's call to help I believe that many of us do not remember what Rotary stands for and what causes we are looking to aid for the benefit of all mankind. See above the six areas of cause we pursue to make the world a better place for all. When we join Rotary we usually join because some person, friend, or significant other thought we would be a benefit to an organization that puts these six causes at the fore-front of their community service here and abroad. That someone in my life was Eric Loch who knew I was looking for something for me that could give back to the community that supported my small business at the time.
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Growing our Rotary Family Rotary clubs from all over doing what we do all the time---HAVING FUN IN A PARADE IN NEW JERSEY Each one of us comes into Rotary with a different idea, passion or a gift they know they can share. What was the motivation behind your reason to join the largest service organization in the world? Somewhere in your heart you wanted to help someone in need, help during a crisis, help another person be they best they can be, whatever the motivation we all have the commonality that we want to help others. Tuesday, February 19th the social committee along with the membership committee are having a Happy Hour get together at the 1760 house. 5:30 to 8:00 pm bring a a like minded friend, neighbor, or colleague who may or may not think about joining our organization, but you know them and they want to give back. Lots of people want to give back but do not know the medium that can help them find the way. We are looking for a large attendance, hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks are on our club. The bar is a cash bar. We are trying to keep the Rotary momentum going in a positive direction. Please RSVP to Bryce so he has a head count. Let's have fun together and enjoy each others' company. See you Tuesday evening at the 1760 House route 100 and Hamilton streets. Thank You to everyone for all of your help in making this rotary year as successful as it has been. Yours in service, Rick Zayaitz |
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Newsletter Survey Coming...please give us your feedbackLast week Mike Waddell mentioned that he and Mark Erle are collaborating on a survey for the membership that will give feedback about the Trumpet newsletter. That survey is now complete and will be emailed to the ERC membership by this weekend. We encourage everyone to complete the survey (only 5 questions) within a few days of receiving the email so that Mike and Mark can collate the responses and hopefully gain a better idea of readership tendencies and how we can make the newsletter better. |
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"Soo-ee, soo-eee..." Pennsylvania German farmers across our area would gather pigs by calling "Soo-ee, sooo-ee...". Emmaus Rotarians are also asked to bring their little pigs home.... Fill those blue piggy banks and bring them in to be counted and credited to your giving.  Our Foundation Committee is using these little blue plastic piggy banks as a fun way to encourage our giving to the Rotary Foundation. It is another reminder that each Rotarian is asked to give $100 a year toward supporting the ways we try to serve the world. That is called EREY or Every Rotarian Every Year. The average amount collected in one full piggy bank is $25 to $30. Fill it four times and you are credited with full EREY completion for that Rotary year. Rotarian Bill Erdman, our Foundation Co-chair, will gladly get you a piggy bank and accept it when you have filled it. He oversees its counting and makes sure your giving account is credited. The Rotary Foundation is rated 4 stars by Charity Navigator. The grants and scholarships awarded by the Rotary Foundation support first, our commitment to END POLIO NOW and, also, our six areas of concern and focus as we seek to service. These six areas include: |
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President's Message This is a photo of a young person living out of his car...... Yes-- we have homelessness in East Penn... We met with Superintendent Kristen Campbell, the Assistant Superintendent Doug Povilaitis, and the Director of Student Services Thomas Mirabella, on Friday morning, January 25, 2019, at the EPSD offices in Emmaus. The Lions, Lioness, Kiwanis, and Rotary are trying to creatively come up with ideas on how to help with the hunger situation in East Penn. Some statistics: 1.) There are 42 homeless families in our district. They sleep in their cars, couch surf, or live on the streets. 2.) Lincoln, Jefferson, and Alburtis, have 365 students on subsidized or free lunches (over 36%) 3.) There are 1010 students in those schools 4.) Almost 28% of all students in the East Penn School District are on some form of free or subsidized lunch program The good news is that we made some progress, however, as in all good deeds it takes time so we do it right. We will start small and keep everyone in the loop. We are open to all when we figure this out. Help comes in all forms for these students. This is what we do; we discover a problem, we leverage our resources (volunteers, experience, and money) to help give these students a shot at a better life. I will continue to shed light on this difficult subject in the weeks ahead. Please remember -- there will not be a morning meeting this week at Brookside CC. It will be Thursday evening at the High School Cafeteria on Pine St. Yours in service, Rick Zayaitz
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Helping our neighbors Cafeteria serving healthy alternatives Imagine you are sending your first grader off to school this morning and you do not have enough money to buy her a snack. All of the other students have snack time with a snack during their school day. This happens each and every day in the East Penn School District. Everyone wants to be the same as their peers, have similar clothes. similar shoes, etc but the difference between feeling better about things and making your day better comes when your tummy is full. |
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Where will you be the first weekend in May? |
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President's Message
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Club Assembly Held on January 3, 2019 After asking for a moment of silence in memory of deceased Rotarian Carl Franz, President Rick Zayaitz reviewed Emmaus Rotary's progress toward fulfilling this year's mission and goals. .jpg) The Fellowship Committee has two events coming up. On Tuesday, March 5th, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Emmaus Rotary will gather at the Superior Restaurant for a Pancake Supper. Family and friends are welcome. Cost per person is only $5. Fill up and enjoy the fun. On Thursday, April 25th, Emmaus Rotary will hold a major fundraising event: Beef N Beer at the House and Barn, Emmaus. The goal is to raise a significant amount of money to be deposited in the Emmaus Rotary Foundation with the intent to build that principle so that we can continue to award significant scholarships to graduating Interact Students at Emmaus High School. The Golf Tournament Committee reported out that with $1,000 in outstanding money to still be received this year's current net is $24,675. Steve Gould took a moment to thank the Rotarians on the committee who found new sponsors, sparked the sale of the Masters Ticket Raffle and got 111 golfers signed up. Rescheduled because of heavy rain, the weather held for the new date. Tony Moyer reported that plans are being laid for the joint Emmaus Rotary and EHS Interact Club joint meeting on Thursday, January 31st at 5:30 p.m. He noted that there is lively interest among students to participate in the 4-Way Test Speech Contest. Earlier Rotarian Erdman had presented Eric Loch with his Paul Harris plus 7.  Erdman reported that we are about 66% toward our year's goal for EREY - Every Rotarian Every Year - giving $100 toward the Rotary Foundation. He noted that the fiscal year for Rotary is July 1 to the end of June. Then he revealed that he thinks Emmaus Rotary will present 19 Paul Harris awards this year.... quick math = Emmaus Rotary will give over $20,000 to the Rotary Foundation this year! END POLIO NOW. Have you noticed the bustle each meeting as speakers are mic'ed and a video camera is set up? John Chisca and his PR committee are working to get our meetings recorded for U Tube where other Rotarians can view them for make-ups. The current obstacle is the pay pal or credit card system to be used. Valerie Deneen reported that the strategy for increased Facebook visibility is working and will be evaluated after 3 months. Remember "Like Us on Facebook"...... President Zayaitz commended the Community Service Committee for all its work especially on the "Be the Inspiration Day(s)" this October. Chair Gary Guthrie stood to say he wanted to thank all the Rotarians who volunteered to staff the numerous service activities. From the floor, a Rotarian asked to be heard so that both Eileen Prokop who coordinates with the Angel Network and Ralph Lewis who spearheads our Food 4 the Hungry Collection each month could be recognized and thanked on our behalf. Before the meeting, Bob Halsey who is our contact with Miracle League had overseen the presentation of a "big check" to the director of Miracle League. District Governor Cindy Hornaman detailed plans and progress preparing for the 7430 District Conference this May in Allentown. Sue Straeter and Eric Loch are working closely with her as Emmaus Rotary is the host club. Early registration is around 100 and Hornaman hopes to have over 300 in attendance. Friday night is International Night. Saturday a youth event will be held at Symphony Hall in the morning and in the evening there will be a Craig Thatcher concert with a food collection for Second Harvest. There are exciting speakers including the youngest district governor in Rotary USA. REGISTER NOW! Zayaitz looked over his powerpoint notes and in closing stressed that "Emmaus Rotary needs to get out there".... he asked fellow Rotarians to recruit new members and to make our brand shine.  In conclusion, Secretary Jim Palmquist noted that some dues payments were outstanding. Rotarian Pease asked that the directory be updated. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. |
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Miracle League Accepts "Big Check"Follow Up: Miracle League Annual Halloween Bash in October 2018 So that the regular volunteers and parents could be with their children, we operated the Refreshment Stand for the night of "Trick or Treat" at the Miracle League. We raised $638.02 for the Miracle League. Kristy McKeever, Miracle League Director, is shown accepting the check from President Rick Zayaitz and myself at our Thursday, December 20, 2018 meeting.
Once again Thank You to all the Rotarians and Interact Students that worked at the Miracle League’s Annual Halloween Bash in October. This was the 7TH Year that we had a “Trick or Treat Booth”, run by the Interact Club, & assisted by Tony Moyer and his Friend.
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President's MessageHappy New Year - 2019!  I hope this message finds all of our members making and sticking to another year of resolutions. As Emmaus Rotary we have had a really good year. We have volunteered, helped collect, sort, received grants to help others and made plans to help feed the hungry in the East Penn School District. We have new friends that have joined us and others who have had to make the decision taking them away from our area. We wish everyone the best for a great 2019. May all of your dreams come true. We have also lost a few really true, great Rotarians the past few years please always keep our departed brothers and sisters in your prayers. Take an hour on Thursday to say good bye to our friend, mentor, and fellow Rotarian at 2 pm at St. John's Church 139 N 4th street Emmaus PA 18049. Carl Frantz will be laid to rest that afternoon. We still have a lot of goals to reach before the end of our Rotary year. Thursday morning we will again visit our annual goals and make plans to reach them before June 30th of 2019. Bring all of your ideas Thursday morning and let's plan to bring 2019 to a glorious finale. Yours in Service Rick Zayaitz |
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Helping people help people Christmas in all of our hearts. I am not sure how to tell everyone in Emmaus Rotary how proud you make your President feel. This year we ended up supporting 4 families for the Christmas holiday. The Angel Network with Eileen heading up the charge had us participate in bringing in enough deodorant to make my dog smell nice. Thank you, Eileen, for getting together with the Interact club youth and everyone else involved in getting the baskets ready for the less fortunate in our community. So proud of the work we do. We helped support an elementary family a senior high family and a PCFLV family with $500 to each family. The stories of these families is heart wrenching however we all helped make their holidays a little happier. I hope in the near future we can help the one young women and her family a little happier in the coming months. She is applying for college in a program that requires special materials to prepare a project for college admission. I know we can help her and supply the materials she needs to give her the best chance to apply to the college of her choice. When Cecilia was here from the Pediatric Cancer foundation of the Lehigh Valley, we offered to help one family get things they needed to make life a little easier for them at this most wonderful time of the year. I enjoy the feeling of helping all of our families and our community. This week we will enjoy the fruits of our high school with the Emmaus High Scool Chorus singing some holiday songs for us to enjoy. Let them start off the 5 days before Christmas with a little music. Next week is Christmas. Enjoy, as your Executive committee will enjoy. We will not have a Trumpet next week but you will see one New's Year's Day. Enjoy!!! be careful and have a great time with family and friends. Yours in Service, Rick
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The President's Message
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President's Message
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Partnering with others to fight hunger Last Year Burt Duren, past president, took us on a journey to help the local food banks feed the hungry in our communities. This year I have been talking about partnering with other local service organizations to help the East Penn School District and its children get the nourishment they need to get through a day, a weekend or a whole summer -- not worrying about where their next meal is coming from. Two weeks ago we all met Andrea and John from the Lioness club and the Lions club both of Emmaus PA. I am still trying to find the leader of Kiwanis and get them on board but still working to a common goal of stemming hunger for our children living at or below the poverty level. Next week we will meet the new superintendent of the East Penn School district. I will be asking Kristen about her needs and wants along with negotiating a meeting in the New Year. In this season of giving thanks and enjoying family and friends, which usually happens over a meal, let's keep in mind the less fortunate and see what we can do to help them during the stressful holiday season. Yours in Service Rick Zayaitz
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The President's Message
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The President's MessageA Simple "Thank you" In our busy lives we often forget the smallest of things that mean the most to someone else. That item we often forget to do is say a simple "Thank You". This week we will focus on saying thank you to all of the people that were so generous to our Rotary community the past year. The Amazing Effect of Saying 'Thank You"Mom was right. (Again.)
And now there is evidence to prove that expressing gratitude leads to increased feelings of interpersonal warmth that in turn helps old and new relationships grow stronger and closer. "Our study shows just how important it is to say thank you to someone," explained study leader and social psychologist Monica Bartlett at Gonzaga University. "A simple thank you leads people to view you as a warmer human being and, consequently, to be more interested in socially engaging with you and continuing to get to know you to build a relationship with you." The study: Seventy university students were asked to provide mentoring advice to a high school student by reading and commenting on that student's university admissions essay. Later, half the mentors received a handwritten note supposedly from their mentee that included the following expression of gratitude: "Thank you SO much for all the time and effort you put into doing that for me!" The results: The undergraduates who were thanked were far more likely to want to continue their relationship with their mentee than those who were not thanked. In addition, the grateful mentees were rated as having significantly warmer personalities. The takeaway: Saying thank you--that is, expressing your gratitude--not only helps us develop new relationships, but also helps build up existing relationships. The study findings were published in the journal Emotion. So please remember that as recipient's of others generosity it is important to also thank them for their belief in what you do as a community(Rotary) and as you as a person. See you Thursday morning Yours in Service |
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The Rotary International Foundation Paul Harris Awards
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The President's MessageThis week's informative narrative will be centered on Medical Marijuana. This is a hot topic and we were lucky enough to have Steve Gould an "Expert" on the topic have one of his many influential friends join us to explain Pennsylvania's laws regarding the usage and purchase of this medical """Miracle""". Keep an open mind and lets learn about the positive benefits to regular people and society as a whole. On a much lighter note two weeks ago we spent a lot of time explaining how the club is doing. Each committee had their chair explain where we are in the year long process. However, one of the areas we did not go over is our budget. So for a few seconds I would like to explain our checking account balances and where the monies are earmarked. We have two checking accounts: one a regular club checking and one set aside to provide a scholarship endowment which is expected to be at $200,000 by our centennial (in 2026)to provide scholarship's for East Penn students into the future. Presently there is Approx. $46,000 in the scholarship account. The regular checking account is around $42,000. The beef and Beer fund raiser will used to help grow that fund this Rotary year. From this regular checking account we will have $20,050 ear marked to be spent for local and international projects. Leaving just over $22,000 in the checking account and from that amount we will be spending over $5,000 for Polio Plus, Shelter Box and Food service projects. Please understand that because we show a large amount in our balance at board meeting time but in essence we only have access to approximately of $17,000 which is not accounted for. For prudent financial management it was suggested by our Financial committee that we should always carry a balance of at least $20,000 in our checking account at any given time. I feel we are good stewards of our monies and the board is always open to looking at and or considering differing projects for the incoming President. As always if you have any questions concerning the budget or our balances on file, please feel free to ask anyone on the executive committee or the treasurer. Yours in Service Rick Zayaitz |
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2018 11th Annual Golf Tournament is now History.png) Winners Congratulations to the winners of this years golf tournament. Mike Bower, Matt Conway, Pat Boyle & Joe Fenstermacher took the first place prize on a match of cards from a three way tie. Brian Johnson was the lucky winner of The 2019 Masters Weekend. Thank you Brian for your support. We learned he purchased 9/$100 raffle tickets to improve his chances. Looks like his theory paid off. Kurt Cannon took 2nd prize with a nice piece of jewelry from Eric J. Loch Fine Diamonds and David Will took 3rd prize of a $500 Visa Gift Card. Special Thanks Many thanks to Michael Kuebler, General Manager, Robert and the Staff of Brookside Country Club for putting on a great event. Also special thanks to Dave Fields, PGA and his staff, especially Ross, for keeping the event running so well. Many Thanks to all of our sponsors and golfers for this years tournament, especially our Event Sponsor Ai Orthodontics. Without the support of great people like Ai, we would not be able to have such a successful fundraiser. See you next year!!! |
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Largest Fund raising event of the year
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President's Message ROTARY'S 6 AREAS OF CONCENTRATION I have been in Rotary for over 8 years. Something I learned at RLI (Rotary Leadership Institute) was that Rotary has 6 main areas of focus. The areas of focus are: Promoting peace, Providing clean water, Saving Mothers and Children, Supporting Education, Growing Local Economies, and Fighting Disease. This week I will dedicate a few lines to Promoting peace. The picture below is depicting one of the fastest growing areas of pain in the US……..Domestic Abuse. We support Turning Point which is a Lehigh Valley organization with the goal of helping anyone in need who is or has been unfortunate enough to be abused by a spouse or family member. Many Rotary organizations dedicate their fund-raising concerns to help people who suffer from domestic abuse. If you would like more information about what Rotarians do around the world please go to myrotary.org And if you are not signed up please sign up and learn about our global organization. We have our major fundraiser coming up on Monday, October 15, 2018. Please help wherever or however you can, so we can continue our support of the 6 areas of focus, both locally and globally. See you Thursday morning and then again on Monday, at Brookside Country Club for our annual golf Fundraiser.  Together we can help stop Domestic Abuse |
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Mark Erle - Lehigh University's Study Abroad Program On Thursday morning, September 13, 2018, Mark Erle, a past President, shared with Emmaus Rotary an overview of Lehigh University's study abroad program and highlights of his five-week trip to Prague, Czech Republic, with three other professors and 64 students. Lehigh offers opportunities during the winter and summer breaks for students to visit/study in over 30 different countries from one to five weeks. Semester-long options are also available. A surprising number of Lehigh's students participate in at least one study abroad program: over 40%. In the program in which Mark participated this spring, students earned three credits working as interns four days/week for companies in Prague. (Students had off Friday through Sunday to enjoy Prague or travel.) Additionally, students earned three credits for taking one course taught either by Mark or another professor one night each week. Mark's family joined him for the last two weeks of his stay and, as together they explored Prague and visited Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna. |
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Rachel Farrow - Outreach Educator Turning Point of The Lehigh Valley Rachel Farrow, Educator at Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, spoke to the Emmaus Rotary at our regular Thursday morning breakfast meeting on September 27, 2018. She was knowledgeable and spoke with passion. Farrow outlined the progressive stages used by perpetrators of domestic violence: 1) "Love Bombing", 2) "Egg Shells", 3) "Explosion", and 4) "It will never happen again". This cycle can repeat 7 to 12 times before the survivor, re-programmed by a narcissistic abuser who isolates while destroying the survivor's self-esteem, begins planning to leave. Farrow noted that this is the most dangerous time for the victim. Last year, 117 people were killed in PA by abusers (12 in Lehigh County alone) who declared "if I can't have you, no one will." Because survivors are most at risk when trying to leave, Turning Point staffs a 24-hour hotline and has partnered with local law enforcement and the medical system to build a safety net. Turning Point's motto is "You are not alone." Farrow called DV an epidemic as it effects 25% of the population: women, children, and men. She said, "silence allows this to continue." And urged Rotarians to listen when terrified individuals speak up because 97% of them are telling the truth. Farrow took several questions and responded to a parent's concern for educating children by saying, "they are always watching so demonstrate healthy love-- kiss your spouse in front of them." Last year's Newcomers' Project was both to collect needed items for Turning Points like sets of sheets and to do some painting and repair work at the shelter. Let's be proud of this partnership. Turning Point is the only domestic violence organization in the state with a shelter. |
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Interact is well and good at Emmaus High School.jpg) Above is a picture of the Emmaus Interact High school students enjoying a day at the Miracle League. You may be asking why the picture of the Interact students? We have a new Emmaus High School Interact Club advisor. Amy Kaunitz is the new advisor for our Interact club. Samantha will be going out on maternity leave in the next few weeks. We thank Samantha for all of her hard work and dedication to the club the past three years. A little about Amy until she has a chance to tell us herself. Amy spent 12 years teaching middle school and now she is now helping young freshman minds understand and appreciate Social Studies. It is her first year as a teacher at the high school level. When you meet Amy you will see how her enthusiasm, passion, and love of teaching comes out. We have found a new leader for the Interact club. If you happen to run into her on the street or at the supermarket, please say hello. I will have a picture of Amy in a future issue of the Trumpet. Until then Uncle Bob will be helping her and her students prepare for a very special Halloween at the Miracle League on October 24th. Thank you, Bob, for all of your work with the Miracle League. Yours in service Rick Zayaitz
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President's Message
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President's Messsage
Why a Golf Tournament?  Members always ask why do we fund raise? This coming weeks Golf Tournament is our only Major fund raiser for the general fund for our Club. The golf tournament proceeds will be put into the general fund for next years President Steve Gould to do our local and International projects. This year we are spending our monies received from last year onhunger related issues in our area, and working on International projects as I write this. Gary Guthrie heads up our Local community projects and Cindy Hornaman is our chair for International Projects and grants. We are a service club and utilize 100% of the revenue generated from this fund raiser to help our local and International communities. Take a moment and reflect what this means to you as a member of Emmaus Rotary. What committee would you like to serve on, or better yet what is your passion? Let's help this years co-chairs of the Golf Committee Mario and John Z make this our best year ever. Hope you are enjoyed the unofficial last week of summer and I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday, September 10 at Brookside Country Club to enjoy a day of fellowship and fun. Yours in Service Rick Zayaitz |
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President's Message"MY CLUB RUNNER" Last week, during the business meeting, I touched on how to get your information updated in Clubrunner. Clubrunner is the software platform we use to put out the Trumpet, learn about Rotary, and keep in touch with our district and Rotary International. First, go to our homepage... Emmaus Rotary. Now you can log in. Look along the menu bar and press Club Directory. Now you can personalize "My Club Runner". Your username which cannot be changed is your first name followed by a period and then your last name followed by a period and then the number 6560. For example mine looks like this richard.zayaitz.6560 Note: you all call me Rick, club runner uses Richard. Then you will be asked for a password. Enter the word (service). Feel free to change your password for increased security. Now you are logged in. Check things out. Look at the Club Directory. Go to "My Club Runner" Now update your information. Add a photo! This helps us keep our records correct for work categories, age demographics, information for our district to use to give us the opportunity to blossom as a club. The other reason I am asking for your help is the executive team is always working on the Presidential citation and this is one area of the citation where we can excel. Please feel free to let me know if you are experiencing problems. There are several of us who can help you. Yours in service Rick |
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Christina Price Classification Talk New Emmaus Rotarian and a self-described "risk taker", Christina Price gave her Classification at the regular Thursday morning meeting on August 16, 2018. Price divided her life story into two 20 year segments. As she spoke about her early years, we learned of her resiliency, self-motivation and the importance of both having responsibility like caring for horses and having caring grandparents. In these last 20 years, she has enjoyed marriage and motherhood as she advanced her career. Price is the director of marketing at Legends of Allentown, the newly opened senior residence and memory care center on Lower Macungie Road. Emmaus Rotary will be Legends guest at a fellowship event which includes a reception, refreshments and a facility tour on Thursday, September 27. In order to advance in her career, Price studied at DeSales and earned her bachelors degree in marketing and sales. She was working full-time and raising a family so she answered "nine years' when asked by her daughter how long it took her to get her degree. Her daughter responded with another question, "shouldn't you be a doctor, or something?"!! |
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President's Message ROTARY FRIENDSHIP At Rotary one of our greatest achievements is the ability it gives us to make friends everywhere. We have a group of Rotarians taking off for Europe this week and next to develop new friendships in the United Kingdom. We can join them in a smaller way by taking the time to sit at different tables during our breakfast meetings and finding out about others in our club. One never knows-- we may meet our next best friend. Supported by the quote above by Gibran, Friendships are a responsibility. Let's take a moment make it our sweet responsibility and see if we can develop new friendships at the club level. Yours in service, Rick Zayaitz |
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Carl Gingrich-- Remembrance Garden Ceremony  Three generations of his Family and fellow Rotarians gathered on Thursday, August 9, 2018 at the Emmaus Remembrance Garden to honor Carl Gingrich by laying a brick inscribed with his name. His brick was placed near his cohorts or "posse" of club members he knew well and worked on projects with them. Several Rotarians spoke movingly but the final tribute was offered by Carl's four year old Grandson Zeke who had told his Mother earlier in the morning that his Grandfather was the "best grown-up ever" who taught them to be good people. |
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Morgan Scott Classification Talk Morgan Scott, one of Emmaus Rotary Club's newest members presented his personal and professional life to us in a way that captured everyone's attention. You never really know someone's story until they are asked to share it. The next time you hear about the "Friends of Owen Thomas Tournament" remember Morgan and his family are honoring his brother who died prematurely of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). They are raising money for research and education. Check out his full classification talk on youtube!!! |
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August is membership month The President's Message August is membership month. We are people of action. We recruit, explain, build, inspire, and help people understand the message of Rotary and what it means to be a Rotarian. We will be talking about membership this month but please take a moment and think about someone you know who may enjoy the benefits of helping other people here and around the world. Bryce has set up a fellowship happy hour with Christina Price for September. Please invite a friend to enjoy the fellowship, the food and to see her new facility and see what Rotary is about. Let's get the word out that "we are the inspiration" |
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President's Message I am driving on I - 78 and what do I see? A bus wrapped with the Rotary Logo and the 4 way test! What a way to get the word out about Rotary. Branding and telling our story is something we all need to work to improve. As Rotarians we kept our secret to ourselves for so long many people do not know who we are or what we do. Younger people utilize social media to see what is happening in their communities (we are working on improving our efforts with respect to social media), middle age people still read the paper, watch the news and see the signs like the one pictured here. Mature people rely on the TV news, weather channel and word of mouth. We all meet new people every day, take a moment and remind your friends, family and colleagues about your service in Rotary. Whether you use social media, the newspaper, or a friendly chat around a cup of coffee WE NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT!!! We are a friendly group of individuals working to make the lives of others better in many ways. Do not be afraid to be proud to be a Rotarian. Yours in Service Rick Zayaitz |
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Cathy Gumlock Teaches Rotary About Lyme DiseaseA big thank you to Cathy Gumlock for presenting us very interesting information on Ticks and Lyme Disease. Unfortunately we ran out of time, however she captivated us and kept our attention as we are all subject to these little nasty buggers!  |
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Emmaus Rotary Goals 18-19 Rotary is a group of like-minded individuals all working together for a common humanitarian cause. This year we have several goals all of which give us the opportunity to serve humanity. The first goal is membership. Our goal of 100 is in play again. We only need a net of 6 new members. We all know someone that is committed to service above self. Please ask them if they would enjoy a Breakfast with your friends at Emmaus Rotary. If you are not sure or do not feel comfortable inviting them please give either Steve, Lexa or myself their e-mail or phone number and one of us will reach out to them. The second goal is Foundation giving and our goal of $24,000 is attainable. There are several ways to give to the Foundation; EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year), each week if you have a $20 bill $15 for breakfast and $5 to the Foundation is one way, another are monthly options, or a blue piggy bank to save your spare pocket change, and annual (monthly debited) contributions that can be automatically taken out of a checking account or from a credit card. All of these options for giving, give our club the opportunity to help others in our community, other communities and globally to people who are in need. Have a great week and think of ways you can help us reach our goals. Yours in Service Rick |
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First Club Assembly 2018Last Thursday I had the pleasure of giving my first and best club assembly so far. You can find the powerpoint presentation In the Rotary Club of Emmaus website under Organization, then look for communications, July 2018, ClubAssembly2018. Also, the strategic plan can be referenced the same way Organization/Misc./ Strategic plan 2018 and 2018-2021. What a first two weeks: Gary Guthrie and his committee already have accomplished two club goals: cleaning up the Weis Markets garden and the Emmaus Remembrance Garden. Thank you to all of the great helpers and facilitators for continuing these wonderful projects. We started the year with two service projects, each in their own way epitomizes Emmaus Rotary's inspiration to the community. Remember this year's Rotary International's "Be the Inspiration" Challenge, be a part of our vision to see each one of us "Inspire" someone in our community, our family or among our friends. Embrace the challenge Barry Rissen sees for all of Rotary. Join a committee and help shape the future of Emmaus Rotary. Yours in Service Rick |
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President's message 7-12-18 As I was thinking about the subject matter I was going to talk about this week it became apparent that the changing of the guard each and every year at Rotary is a good and bad thing. We have new people, new ideas, changes which are the good. We also have the ideas from the past that may not have been completed, or forgotten, or brushed away. Change is good, new is wonderful how do we incorporate the good going forward and leave the bad behind? Then I read Rotary International’s new vision statement adopted a few years ago. “Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change- across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves”. Barry Rissen, Rotary International President’s message of “be the inspiration” helps interpret the answer to my question. We as leaders look to change and inspire moving forward. We incorporate the good ideas from the past and move ahead, and we look to the future of our Club, Our District and our Rotary International. As leaders of our clubs we want to be the inspiration for our members to create lasting change, to take action on items, or ideas that are important to each one of us and to unite our clubs and our communities to create lasting sustainable change. This year I will be spending a significant amount of time uniting our service communities to join with our vision and work together for the whole of our community. My goal is to take on the issue of hunger in our schools with the help of the school district, The Lions Club, Lioness Club, Kiwanis and possibly the Chamber of Commerce to help our youth who are less fortunate have a viable meal every day of the week not only the days they are in school. I want to inspire our children to be the best they can be and if they are hungry it is almost impossible to be the best. The focus of the 2018-2019 District conference will be focusing on the issue of hunger. Let Emmaus Rotary be the inspiration and spearhead the opportunity to help our community with this daunting task. Let’s leave the bad behind, take the good, change it a little, and transform the future for our community, and ourselves. We can be the Inspiration, make small changes, have a lot of fun and "inspire" starting with ourselves. Yours in Service Rick Zayaitz |
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President's message July 4th
Happy 4th of July Emmaus Rotarians What a fabulous time of the year. Every Rotary club, every Rotary District and even our executive leadership at Rotary International have transferred leadership to new leadership to begin a new Rotary year. Burt Duren our immediate Past President has passed the gravel to myself Rick Zayaitz, Steve Gould and Lexa Shall cross. Rick Grommis our Past District Govenor has passed the District’s gavel to Cindy Horneman, and Herb Klotz. Last Thursday we enjoyed two extremely important events: the passing of the gavel at our breakfast meeting and the passing of the gavel at our District change over meeting both held at Brookside Country Club in Macungie. If you missed either one make it a “have to do next year” as both of these events epitomize what Rotary is about. With the inspiration from the new Rotary International President Barry Rassin our new motto for 2018 – 2019 is “Be the inspiration”. We as Rotarians can always be the inspiration for our families, friends, mentors, communities, etc. In our club we will are striving to “Be the Inspiration” for especially for our community. In this coming year I look forward to working with all of our members making a difference in our local as well as our international community. |
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President's Message - June 26, 2018 Greetings from the Rotary International Convention in Toronto! Our time has been chock-a-block full of amazing events, terrific speakers, and loads of fellowship activities in this terrific city. Looking forward to sharing more of our experiences with you when we return. Well, we have come to the end of another Rotary year. This week, Rotary will transform itself with new leaders in every club, district and zone, as well as at the international level as Barry Rassin takes over as Rotary International President and a new board of directors is installed. This is a strangely unique aspect of Rotary, but one which breathes new life into every aspect of our work and service. This Thursday morning, I will pass the gavel as Club President over to Rick Zayaitz to lead the club in 2018-2019. I know Rick and the incoming board of directors and officers can count on the same level of support and encouragement that I received from you all during the last year. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your Club President in 2017-2018. At the Club Recognition Dinner last week, I recounted your many acts of service, financial support and fellowship over the last year. When I listed off the many local and international beneficiaries of our club during the past year, it was truly profound to remember the impact our 94 members had on our local community and around the world in 2017-2018 through your generous gifts of time, talent and treasure. This is what Rotary is all about and I greatly admire your dedication to “Service Above Self.” Best wishes to you all and thank you for your friendship. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Dinner at Bear CreekA great time was had by all at Bear Creek Resort on Wednesday Jun 20th to celebrate Burt Durens Presidential Rotary Year. If you are a Emmaus Rotarian and have not been able to attend this annual event, please make sure you do your best to make it next year as this meeting embodies what we do week in and week out.        |
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President's Message - June 19, 2018We’re down to the final two weeks of the Rotary year! During the last few days, I’ve looked back at the work our club has done during 2017-2018. And, the impact all of you have had on our local community and around the world through your service activities and financial generosity is profound. At the Club Recognition Dinner on Wednesday evening, I will take a few minutes to recap our events and activities, and recognize many of you for your “Service Above Self” during this past Rotary year. I look forward to seeing you at the dinner! Just a reminder: There is no breakfast meeting on Thursday June 21. The Club Recognition Dinner will substitute as this week’s regular meeting. On another note, Donna and I leave for Toronto on Saturday morning to attend the Rotary International Convention. Over 24,000 Rotarians from around the world are registered for the event! There will be daily plenary sessions featuring speakers such as former First Lady Laura Bush; Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization; Caryl Stern, President & CEO of UNICEF; and Jane Nelson, Director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, in addition to many of the senior leaders of Rotary International. There will be many, many breakout sessions covering a wide array of Rotary topics. And, finally - my favorite feature – the Rotary House of Friendship with an amazing collection of Rotary exhibitors, Rotary Action Groups, Rotary Fellowship Groups, project partners and vendors. This is where many find inspiration and learn about the power and reach of Rotary's work. It's also where Rotarians make connections with new friends from every corner of the globe. I’ll share more about our experience at this year's Convention when we return. Donna and I fly home from Toronto next Wednesday afternoon to be on hand for the club and district changeover events on Thursday June 28. You won't want to miss the induction of Rick Zayaitz as the next ERC President at our regular breakfast meeting. A highlight of that event will be the “passing of the gavel” from all past presidents to Rick. And, our own Cindy Hornaman will be inducted as 2018-2019 Governor for District 7430 at a dinner that evening at Brookside Country Club. If you haven’t done so already, please register for the dinner by clicking here. As Cindy's home club, I am counting on a strong representation from Emmaus Rotary at the dinner. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Randall Forte, Lehigh Valley Arts Council Draws Q&A Thank you Randall Forte, Executive Director Lehigh Valley Arts Council. His presentation informed us on the council's fiscal history and potential forecast. Emmaus Rotary followed up with 12 minutes of Q&A. An informative presentation indeed. Randall Forte is the Executive Director for the Lehigh Valley Arts Council, having served in this position since 1999. Prior to moving into arts administration, he worked as a professional theatre artist in regional theatres in Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York. Originally from the Midwest, he trained at the University of Michigan and Oakland University Academy of Dramatic Arts. The Lehigh Valley Arts Council’s mission is to promote the value of the arts, foster collaboration in the community, and encourage arts engagement for all people in the Lehigh Valley. Through community partnerships, it continues to support our local arts community with arts advocacy and research, grant programs, and cooperative marketing initiatives.
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President's Message - June 12, 2018 It's hard to believe it’s June already! And equally hard to believe there are only three weeks remaining in the 2017-2018 Rotary year. And, what an eventful three weeks they will be! At this week’s meeting, Dee Eng will present her Classification Talk. Dee has been involved with a variety of Rotary activities for quite a long time, but officially joined as a member just last August. You won’t want to miss her talk on Thursday. The Club Recognition Dinner will take place on Wednesday June 20 at Bear Creek Mountain Resort. At this dinner, we will gather to celebrate the contributions of our members to “Make A Difference” in our local community and internationally. The festivities will start with a social hour at 5.30pm followed by a buffet dinner and short program. Cost is $25 per person ($10 for children aged 3 to 16). I understand Jeff McElhaney can still accept last minute RSVPs before delivering a final “head count” to Bear Creek on Wednesday June 13. So, if you haven’t done so already, please contact him at jeff.mcelhaney@edwardjones.com or (215) 718-5163 to make your reservation. By the way, the Club Recognition Dinner will replace our normal weekly breakfast meeting on June 21. Several of us will be attending the Rotary International Convention in Toronto from Saturday June 23 to Wednesday June 27. It will be hard to top last year’s convention in Atlanta. But, I am really looking forward to all of the presentations, events and opportunities for fellowship in Toronto. The month winds up with two changeover meetings on Thursday June 28. In the morning, many of ERC’s Past Presidents will participate in the passing of the gavel ceremony as Rick Zayaitz is installed as Club President for 2018-2019. That evening, Cindy Hornaman will be installed as District 7430 Governor for 2018-2019 at a dinner to be held at our own Brookside Country Club location. Please make an effort to attend this dinner to show our club’s support for Cindy. You can register by following this link. Lastly, I want to encourage all members to consider contributing to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund. We are closing in on our $20,000 goal, but need a little more participation to meet the target. In order to receive credit for gifts in this Rotary year, all donations need to be sent to The Rotary Foundation no later than June 20. If you would like to make a gift, please drop your check off at the EREY table when checking in at this week’s meeting. Alternatively, you can give your check to Bill Erdman (our club’s Foundation chairman) or me, and we will be sure to submit your donation on time. Many thanks for your awesome support of Emmaus Rotary Club, District 7430 and The Rotary Foundation! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - June 5, 2018I am using this week’s President’s Message to pass along information concerning the club’s finances. Fortunately, it’s all good news! At last week’s meeting, I mentioned the quiet, but important work that the Financial Analysis Committee recently completed. As you may recall, this committee was established through an amendment to our club by-laws for the purpose of conducting an annual analysis of the club’s financial statements each year. The inaugural committee – comprised of Nicole Steirer, David Dunn and Melissa Schwartz – worked with Club Treasurer Chris Wills to review the statements for the 2016-2017 Rotary year, as well as cash handling procedures and tax compliance matters. The committee completed its work earlier this spring and reported its findings and recommendations to the club’s board of directors at the April and May meetings. I am happy to report that the committee reported no issues or concerns with the reported results of operations or cash balances for the 2016-2017 year. To sum up the committee’s findings, the club’s finances are healthy and cash balances are sufficient to fund our projects and operations. Click here to read the 2016-2017 financial statements. As noted above, since this was the first year of the committee’s work, they also reviewed our cash handling procedures – particularly at the sign-in table for Thursday morning meetings – as well as requests from members for expense reimbursements. Club Treasurer Chris Wills is preparing forms that we will begin employing for each process. These will be shared with members - along with explanatory instructions - in a future edition of the Trumpet. Since this process was new, the committee developed their own approach for the review and completed their work by the early spring. In future years, I anticipate the committee will complete its work by the end of September so that the previous year’s financials can be provided to members on a more timely basis. For the sake of consistency, the board established procedures whereby one of the committee members will rotate off each year and be replaced by a member to be nominated by the then current Club President for a new three-year term. President-Elect Rick Zayaitz will be responsible for nominating a replacement for Melissa Schwartz who will rotate off after serving a one-year term. Nicole will remain on the committee for two more years and David will serve for one more year. Please join me in thanking Nicole, David and Melissa for a job well done! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - May 29, 2018I trust you all enjoyed the holiday weekend. Donna and I just returned this afternoon from our mountain house in Virginia. It was a short, but enjoyable trip during which we enjoyed meals with friends, an overnight visit with our son and daughter-in-law, and the satisfaction of completing chores around the house. When you are can only be present in a place occasionally, it’s amazing how much the tree pruning, gardening and general yard clean-up can get a little out of hand! Add in higher-than-average rainfall and Mother Nature can begin to overtake “civilization” in a few spots. While my battle with the forest in Virginia is not a perfect analogy, members who are unable to attend meetings or participate in service projects on a regular basis can sometimes find their activities outside of Rotary overtaking their commitment to service and fellowship. We have been blessed with good attendance and participation in recent months. But, our comradery and service impact will be even greater if our attendance and participation rates improve. Can I ask each of you to think about a member you haven’t seen in a while and reach out to him or her with a call or message? Let them know they are missed and invite them to join us at an upcoming meeting. Even if they are unable to attend for a while, I’m sure they will appreciate your communication and good wishes. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Kate Miller, Executive Director of Miracle League Lehigh Valley Great thanks to Kate Miller for presenting an informative look at Miracle League Lehigh Valley. Kate filled us in on how Miracle League as formed and has grown to what it is today. A huge thanks to Bob Halsey for setting this program up. As most of you know Bob volunteers many hours to the Miracle League. If you are ever looking for a gratifying experience, sign up as a volunteer to help the Miracle League kids play ball!!!! You will not be sorry.  |
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President's Message - May 22, 2018 The Memorial Day weekend is upon us! Often referred to as the unofficial start of summer, the Memorial Day holiday is a time when many Americans enjoy a family picnic, patriotic parades and a day off of work. But, of course, Memorial Day is much more than a holiday. It is the day Americans honor all of the men and women who died serving in the United States military. The holiday originated after the Civil War which claimed more lives than any conflict in United States history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities began holding springtime tributes to the fallen by decorating their graves and reciting prayers. On May 5, 1868, General John Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as Logan called it, was chosen because it did not conflict with the anniversary of any particular battle. On the first Decoration Day, Congressman James Garfield (a former Major General in the Union Army who would later become the 20th President of the United States) made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. [Take the time to click here to read Garfield’s speech. It is as applicable today as it was 150 years ago.] Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and continued the tradition in subsequent years. By 1890, Decoration Day was an official state holiday in most Northern states. Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I. Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, subsequently evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars. As you celebrate Memorial Day this weekend, I encourage each of you to remember the fallen with grateful hearts and a determination to serve others. As President John F. Kennedy said: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.” Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - May 15, 2018 Our weekly meetings are often chock-a-block full with announcements, birthdays, special recognitions, fines & happy dollars and, of course, great speakers. With our commitment to end meetings as close to 8.30am as possible, sometimes we have to shorten a segment here or there to complete the meeting on time. As Club President, I receive many thank you notes and letters from those we serve in our local community and around the world. And, I try to read as many of these at our meetings as possible. But, sometimes our jam-packed program does not allow me to read every letter aloud. This week, I received several thank you letters that had accumulated over time with Diana Frain - the very able assistant in the office of Chris Wills who actually generates the checks sent to our project beneficiaries. As you will see, some of these letters were received some time ago. But, the passage of time does not diminish the sense of gratitude that comes through each and every one. Follow the links below to see the impact of your contributions in our own backyard and around the globe.
Thanks to each and every one of you for the generosity of your time and treasure to Make A Difference in so many lives. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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PETS Training at DeSales UniversityCindy Hornaman, Gary Rohrbach, Burt Duren, Rick Zayaitz, Steve Gould, Lexa Shallcross and Jim Palmquist visited DeSales University this past Saturday morning for Rotary District 7430 Assembly Training. There were meetings, speakers and breakout sessions on several Rotary topics. A tasty lunch was served and many thoughts and ideas were surfaced. A main theme of the day was Rotary is embarking on a new era and faces change and challenge as our International Membership is aging out. Rotary as a whole needs to become creative and open to new ideas for new members as Cindy Hornaman, District Governor Elect 18-19 announced a never before seen or accomplished goal to establish 5 new Rotary Clubs in our District. Hold on to your boot straps Rotary as change is in our future. That change is in our hands as the results are up to us!  |
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Christopher Greb - The Macungie Ambulance Corp A huge thank you to Christopher Greb, 20 year Operations Manager of Macungie Ambulance Corp for visiting The Emmaus Rotary Club last week. Chris delivered a fantastic overview and history on the The Macungie Ambulance Corp and how this organization has advanced since the late 50's. Chris also gave a crash course on current day CPR and dispelled the previous historic mentality of how someone can help someone in cardiac distress. Hope to see you again Chris.  |
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Thank You to Swedish RFE Hosts"Thank you!" to the all of the Emmaus Rotary families who hosted our guests from Sweden on the Rotary Friendship Exchange: Burt & Donna Duren, Cindy & Chris Hornaman, Alicia Ruiz-Orbin & Mike Orbin, Dawn & Jim Palmquist, Dee Eng & Gary Rohrbach, and Dina & Rick Zayaitz. Special recognition goes to Dee & Gary for chairing the RFE program for District 7430. Coordinating all of the hosts, activities, meals, transportation with three area clubs is no easy task. But, Dee and Gary did a terrific job! Thanks to everyone for representing our club and District in such stellar fashion and, most importantly, making our guests feel so welcome. Well done to all! Here's a close up of the banners which we received at last Thursday's club meeting.  |
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President's Message - May 8, 2018The winners of District Governor Rick Gromis’ Make A Difference Day (“MAD”) photo contest were recently announced at the District Conference. And, DG Rick’s latest newsletter also included the winning entries. There were four categories: (1) Having Fun at a MAD Day, (2) MAD Day Service Project, (3) MAD Day Rotarians Making A Difference, and (4) Best in Show. I’m very happy to report that photos submitted by Emmaus Rotary Club won three of the four awards! Here’s the winner in the Service Project category which was captioned: “How many Rotarians does it take to plant a tree?”  And, here’s the winner in both the “Having Fun at a MAD Day” and “Best in Show” categories which was captioned: “'The Rotarians Main Street' - Playing on The Beatles Abbey Rd cover photo” .jpg) For the winning entries in the Service Project and Having Fun Categories, District 7430 will donate $50 each to The Rotary Foundation in the name of Emmaus Rotary Club. And, for winning the Best in Show, District 7430 will donate $100 to The Rotary Foundation on our club’s behalf – a total of $200 to support doing good in the world! Emmaus Rotary owes a debt of thanks to Jessica Freeh, a professional photographer and friend of John Chisca, who captured these images (and many others) on our Make A Difference Day projects last September. I would also like to thank John for captioning and submitting the photos to the District – all in compliance with DG Rick’s strict requirements. The service projects undertaken by all of you on MAD Day truly made a difference in the lives of many in our community. It is wonderful that the spirit of fun and fellowship we shared that day was captured in these winning photos. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Swedish Exchange Program a Hit! Quite a turnout for last Thursday's Swedish Exchange Program. Introductions and life stories were made, club flags exchanged and awesome fellowship was abundant.    Sue's View!!! ...from the piano bench.... |
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President's Message - May 1, 2018Well, it seems spring has finally arrived. The forsythia has been in bloom for a few weeks. But, now, most of the flowering trees and many flower bulbs are in full bloom, too. With spring comes new energy. So, it’s a good thing we have so many events in the life of our club over the next few weeks to which that renewed energy can be directed. Here are a few highlights:
Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - April 24, 2018 Do you recognize the gentleman in the above photo? Does it help if I tell you he was Rotary International President in 1954-1955 – Rotary’s golden anniversary year? How about if I told you he was once the President of Club Aluminum Products in Chicago? Still stumped? Meet Herbert J. Taylor. I would wager very few Rotarians recognize Mr. Taylor’s name. But, nearly every Rotarian is familiar with his work. Got it now? Of course, Herbert J. Taylor is the author of Rotary’s Four-Way Test. For Rotarians, the Four-Way Test is the cornerstone of all action. In what we speak, think and do, Rotarians have a responsibility to continually ask…
The Test‘s four brief questions are not based on culture or religion. Instead, they are a simple checklist for ethical behavior. They transcend generations and national borders. This Thursday morning, we will hear from the two Emmaus High School students who participated in District 7430’s Four-Way Test Speech Contest. The topic of each speech is left up to the student, but it must include a practical application of all of the four points of the Four-Way Test. It’s always interesting to hear the unique ways that students apply the Four-Way Test in their speech. And, this year will be no exception. I look forward to seeing you all on Thursday morning. Yours in Rotary, Burt PS – If you would like to read more about the history of the Four-Way Test in Herbert J. Taylor’s own words, click here. |
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Jim Martin, Lehigh County District Attorney Visits Emmaus Rotary Jim Martin who has been Lehigh County District Attorney since 1998, first appointed by County Commissioners then elected five times since, has been Lehigh County's longest serving DA in Lehigh County history. Jim has an impressive conviction record obtaining 247 of 253 criminal homicide cases brought to trial. He has prosecuted over 100,000 adult criminal cases since 1998. Jim explained the RICK program his department and the County have developed and endorsed which is a database of criminal activity helping local law enforcement cross reference crimes and save valuable time. See the entire presentation on YouTube. Thanks Jim for visiting. |
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Bob Krause Receives Paul Harris Award |
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A visit from PA Gaming Control Board The Emmaus Rotary Club had a fantastic program last week. Dante Santoni, Board of Commissioners and Doug Harbach, Director of Communications from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in Harrisburg presented very interesting information on the history and progress on gaming in Pennsylvania. The program inspired many questions from our club. Gaming in Pennsylvania has generated Billions of Dollars to our state. Dante and Doug briefed us on how some of those funds have been appropriated. Check out the full presentation on YouTube!  |
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President's Message - April 17, 2018.jpg) I'm repeating my President's Message from a few weeks ago to encourage as many Emmaus Rotarians as possible to attend this year's District Conference. Registration is still open. I hope you will make plans to attend! Have you ever attended a Rotary District Conference? When considering past conferences, many have said the cost was too high, the location was too far away, and attendance required a significant time commitment - and for some conferences that may well have been true. District 7430 Governor Rick Gromis decided to do something about these objections with the 2018 District Conference which he is hosting on Friday April 27 through Sunday April 29. Location: The conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Wyomissing which is just 30 miles southwest of our Brookside Country Club meeting location – practically in our own backyard. This is the first time the conference has been held inside the District in many years. Cost & Time Commitment: DG Rick is providing an a la carte approach to pricing and attendance. If you wish to attend the entire conference, the fee is $199. But, if you prefer to attend on Saturday only, the cost is just $99. For those who can’t do either, you can attend the “Best of the Wurst” session on Friday night for just $60 which will feature a local craft beer tasting, lots of brats & a German-themed dinner, entertainment and the opportunity to experience the fellowship and networking with District Rotarians from 45 clubs covering five counties. Of course, if you choose to stay over in Wyomissing, your financial commitment will be higher due to lodging costs. But, attending on Friday or Saturday not only eliminates that cost, but also reduces the time away from home. I haven’t even mentioned the fine program that DG Rick’s committee has planned. The theme of the conference is Leadership, Youth Programs & Fun. There will be two headline speakers: Mitty Chang is the founder of Candeavor, a marketing and web design agency in the Silicon Valley. More importantly, Mitty began his Rotary life as an Interactor in 2005, started two Rotaract clubs during his university years and eventually served as a Rotaract District Governor. Mitty will be speaking about attracting Millennials into organizations like Rotary. Go to www.mittychang.com to learn more. The second headliner is Michael Angelo Caruso, past president of the Troy, Michigan Rotary Club and the Immediate Past District Governor in District 6380. Michael is an internationally acclaimed speaker who focuses on teaching others to communicate more effectively. Learn more at www.michaelangelocaruso.com. As if this is not enough, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet Rotarians from throughout the District and several plenary sessions with inspiring local speakers. I know many Emmaus Rotarians are planning to attend some or all of this year’s conference. Won’t you join us? To learn more, go to www.rotarymakingtracks2018.eventbrite.com. Yours in Rotary, |
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Burt Duren Presides Over His Final Club Assembly as Emmaus Rotary Club President |
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President's Message - April 10, 2018 Last week, I saw a picture of the button at the top of this message and was struck by its simple message. It is easy to think the impact of our individual contributions is limited. But, every life-changing idea is the product of one person imagining how they can help someone else and taking action to make it happen. Of course, when individuals seeking to impact their community join with like-minded friends and neighbors, “so much” more can be accomplished. At its core, that is the essence of Rotary. I am so proud of each of you and the efforts you have put forth to serve our community and club so far this Rotary year. At last week’s club assembly, we looked back on the work done from July 2017 through March 2018 and highlighted the events scheduled for the last quarter of the 2017-2018 year. You can access a copy of my PowerPoint presentation by clicking here. Thanks very much to all of you for contributing your time, talent and treasure to the work and fellowship of our club. Collectively, our individual efforts truly are Making A Difference. Yours in Rotary, Burt PS – The District 7430 Executive Committee is asking clubs to approve clarifications its Procedures and Guidelines on the handling of District Conference cash flow requirements. We will take a vote to approve these clarifications at this week’s meeting. Click here and here to read the proposed clarifications. |
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Rotary Celebrates International Women's DayThe Emmaus Rotary Club had quite a program last Thursday celebrating International Women's Day and honoring two very exceptional women. A huge "thank you" to Alicia Ruiz-Orbin, who hosted the successful celebration, and her committee. (She is pictured immediately below this text.) Debra Geiger, a Bethlehem Rotary club member, and Jennifer Kunes, one of the founding family members of Lily's Hope, were honored at ERC's First International Women's Day with an award from the Emmaus Rotary and a proclamation from the House of Representatives and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for their outstanding accomplishments. (Geiger is pictured below in the gold jacket, receiving awards from club president Burt Duran and Kunes is in the group photo with family members and her daughter Lily for whom the 501c foundation is named.) Club member John Chisca also presented Lily's Hope with $601.50 raised recently under the umbrella of the March of Dimes fundraiser and awareness program that John and his wife Deb Chisca have worked for since starting the Ethan and Owen Mightly Miracles Team several years ago.  |
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President's Message - April 3, 2018.jpg) Happy April, everyone! This week, we begin the final quarter of this Rotary year. As is our tradition on the first Thursday of each quarter, our meeting this week will be a Club Assembly – and my final time to lead an Assembly as your club president. Once again, we will review progress toward the goals established at the beginning of this Rotary year. I’ll also highlight plans and events for the remainder of the year. Importantly, we will reserve time for comments and suggestions from all of you. While time is short to implement new ideas this year, I’m sure President-Elect Rick, First Vice President Steve & Second Vice President Lexa will appreciate your input as they contemplate their upcoming leadership roles. Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday morning! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - March 27, 2018 Our club will be celebrating International Women’s Day at this week's meeting. Our celebration will occur three weeks after the official International Women’s Day on March 8, but Mother Nature decided to dump several inches of snow on our area resulting in cancellation of our meeting that day. As part of this year’s event, Deb Geiger of Bethlehem Rotary Club and Jennifer Kunes Driscoll of Lily’s Hope Foundation will receive our club’s inaugural International Women’s Day Celebration Awards. These two outstanding women will be honored for their impactful service and have the opportunity to speak about their work in our community. International Women’s Day has been celebrated since 1911. It continues to be a powerful platform globally that unifies and drives action for gender parity while celebrating the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women. As most of you know, Rotary did not admit female members until the late 1980's. But, the organization has come a long way in the last thirty years. Of today’s 1.2 million Rotary members worldwide, about 250,000 are women. These women are from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. They demonstrate teamwork, persistence, determination, creativity, enthusiasm, generosity, self-confidence and compassion. And, they are tireless advocates for education and new opportunities for children, youth and young adults. Current Rotary International President Ian H.S. Riseley has called upon Rotary clubs to seek even more diversity in their membership, including improving the gender balance. In his address at last year’s Rotary International Assembly, Riseley noted that 103 of the incoming 539 district governors for the 2017-2018 Rotary year were women “who will help Rotary connect with, and represent, and better serve, all the members of all our communities.” I want to thank Alicia Ruiz-Orbin for suggesting an International Women’s Day Celebration for our club over a year ago. Alicia and her committee - comprised of Dee Eng, David Dunn and Rose Galeano-Phillips – have done an outstanding job in organizing this event which will be celebrated annually going forward. I look forward to seeing you all at this year’s celebration on Thursday morning. Yours in Rotary- Burt |
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Past President Jeff McElhaney Presented The Presidential Citation Award
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Philadelphia Police Chief DF Pace Chief Pace met Emmaus Rotary last week and presented his experience as being chosen out of thousands of applicants to serve as a Rotary Peace Scholar. D is an attorney, a Member of The Philadelphia Rotary Club and currently heads the Philadelphia Police Department’s Court Evidence Unit. His involvement in the Rotary Peace Fellow Certificate Program since 2011 has led him to travel to parts of the world where he learned about issues the Philadelphia Police Department was not equipped to handle. Watch his entire presentation on Youtube : https://youtu.be/-7eo2Ye3KWM  |
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President's Message - March 20, 2018 Have you ever attended a Rotary District Conference? When considering past conferences, many have said the cost was too high, the location was too far away, and attendance required a significant time commitment - and for some conferences that may well have been true. District 7430 Governor Rick Gromis decided to do something about these objections with the 2018 District Conference which he is hosting on Friday April 27 through Sunday April 29. Location: The conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Wyomissing which is just 30 miles southwest of our Brookside Country Club meeting location – practically in our own backyard. This is the first time the conference has been held inside the District in many years. Cost & Time Commitment: DG Rick is providing an a la carte approach to pricing and attendance. If you wish to attend the entire conference, the fee is $199. But, if you prefer to attend on Saturday only, the cost is just $99. For those who can’t do either, you can attend the “Best of the Wurst” session on Friday night for just $60 which will feature a local craft beer tasting, lots of brats & a German-themed dinner, entertainment and the opportunity to experience the fellowship and networking with District Rotarians from 45 clubs covering five counties. Of course, if you choose to stay over in Wyomissing, your financial commitment will be higher due to lodging costs. But, attending on Friday or Saturday not only eliminates that cost, but also reduces the time away from home. I haven’t even mentioned the fine program that DG Rick’s committee has planned. The theme of the conference is Leadership, Youth Programs & Fun. There will be two headline speakers: Mitty Chang is the founder of Candeavor, a marketing and web design agency in the Silicon Valley. More importantly, Mitty began his Rotary life as an Interactor in 2005, started two Rotaract clubs during his university years and eventually served as a Rotaract District Governor. Mitty will be speaking about attracting Millennials into organizations like Rotary. Go to www.mittychang.com to learn more. The second headliner is Michael Angelo Caruso, past president of the Troy, Michigan Rotary Club and the Immediate Past District Governor in District 6380. Michael is an internationally acclaimed speaker who focuses on teaching others to communicate more effectively. Learn more at www.michaelangelocaruso.com. As if this is not enough, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet Rotarians from throughout the District and several plenary sessions with inspiring local speakers. I know many Emmaus Rotarians are planning to attend some or all of this year’s conference. Won’t you join us? To learn more, go to www.rotarymakingtracks2018.eventbrite.com. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - March 13, 2018Most of us find public speaking a bit intimidating. And, writing words that will be read by many others can be just as daunting. For that reason, I really admire people who have the gift of speaking or writing in a meaningful, eloquent manner and with words that I remember long afterward. Maybe that’s why I am a collector of quotes. Some are famous, some less well known. But, all are memorable. I thought I would share some of my favorites with all of you this week. Hopefully, at least one of these will be new to you and cause you to think about yourself or those around you in a different way. Enjoy! "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin “Service is the very purpose of life. It is the rent we pay for living on the planet.” – Marian Wright Edelman “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Unknown “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro “To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care.” – Mandy Hale “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” – Unknown “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” – Samuel Johnson “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and, behold, service was joy.” – Rabindranath Tagore Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Doug Reichley Classification TalkAll Judges must be time worthy! As you see here Doug prepares himself to keep the time!  Our Honorable Judge Douglas G. Reichley joined Rotary to fill time and give back. Now that he is a Lehigh County Judge of The Court of Common Pleas, Doug has more time to do the things he enjoys. Most important, he is interested in being part of something in the community, not running the community. From Attorney to State Representative to Judge, Doug gave us a history of his school days, early career transitions, family, parents, garlic agriculture and more. Doug is interested in learning more about Dementia and Alzheimers disease as these ailments have hit close to home. We are proud to have Doug as part of our Emmaus Rotary Family as he compliments our great club. Great job Doug!  |
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President’s Message - March 6, 2018
We’ve all heard the old adage about the month of March: “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” With the high winds of last week’s nor’easter, the lion was certainly roaring! I know many of us were without power for at least part of the weekend (if not longer). Not sure about you, but I’ve had more than enough of March’s lion, thank you very much! But, as the man says on TV: “Wait! There’s more!” As I write this, forecasters are predicting a significant snow event on Wednesday. The Executive Committee will make a call on whether or not our Thursday morning will go on as planned as soon as possible and announce our decision via email. Much will depend on when the storm ends and whether our members and the honorees for our International Women’s Day Celebration can travel safely to Macungie. Stay tuned! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President’s Message - February 27, 2018March will be a busy month in Emmaus Rotary Club and District 7430. Here are some of the activities and events that you won’t want to miss:
Yours in Rotary, Burt
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Rose Galeano Phillips - Classification Talk Rose used her classification to talk about being the parent of two children with a rare disease. As she shared her incredible personal journey, we learned about the rare disease called Dyskeratois congenita. She helped start the non-profit foundation D C Outreach, Inc to support families by providing information, camp experiences, referral services and more. If you missed last Thursday, or you would like to view Rose's classification talk again please take the time to view the youtube video @ https://youtu.be/pMUWzQSFguE. We have quite an impressive and strong Rotarian in our club, however we never had an idea of how impressive and strong. Thanks Rose for sharing and we wish you the very best in continuing this journey! |
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Don Blose Inaugural Sergeant At Arms
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Tax Talk by Club Treasurer Chris WillsThe IRS is keeping Tax Professionals on their game. Chris Wills gave us a taste of some of the changes occurring in the tax code. A complicated and not all the time exciting subject, Chris did a great job explaining some tax changes that will keep all our attention on whats new. A job well done Chris and thanks again for taking the time on short notice to present this information.  |
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President’s Message - February 20, 2018Over the next two meetings, we will be treated to classification talks by Rose Galeano-Phillips and Doug Reichley. It’s a little unusual to have classification talks in back-to-back weeks. But, our last talk was last summer, so we have some catching up to do! Classification talks are a mainstay of Rotary and help members build better relationships with each other. “Classification” describes the principal activity of the company or business with which a Rotarian is connected. Each Rotary club strives for variety in the classifications of its members to ensure a well-balanced club comprised of members of many vocations. It’s always interesting to hear from our newest members as they share about their vocation and personal histories, as well as why they joined Rotary, what they hope to gain from it, and what they hope to contribute. Several clubs have started a new tradition called “reclassification talks” where long-time members do their classification talk a second time. After all, how many of us were members when Wilmer Schultz or Roger Whitcomb did their classification talk the first time, right? Something for our program chair to consider? Sounds like a great idea to me. In the meantime, we eagerly anticipate the classification talks over the next two weeks. Break a leg, Rose and Doug! Yours in Rotary, Burt
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President's Message - February 13, 2017.jpg) As many of you know, Dale Dries stepped down recently as Sergeant-at-Arms of Emmaus Rotary Club. Dale is facing some health challenges which will limit his meeting attendance going forward. So, he feels this is the time to pass the baton to another member of the club. After discussions with several members, the Executive Committee recommended and the Board of Directors approved the appointment of Don Blose as the next Sergeant-at-Arms of Emmaus Rotary Club. The Board also approved the Executive Committee’s recommendation of Valerie Deneen as Don’s primary assistant. Don will begin his new responsibilities at this week’s breakfast meeting. Congratulations, Don and Valerie! A few more words about Dale’s service over the years as Sergeant-at-Arms… It goes without saying that Dale is an outstanding sergeant. Like many Emmaus Rotarians, I always looked forward to the Fines & Happy Dollars portion of our meeting. With his sharp wit and ingenuity for inventing fines, Dale always delivered a lot of laughs and, importantly, raised a significant amount of money for the club. I’ve visited many other Rotary clubs throughout the USA and other countries and have never witnessed another sergeant like Dale. He is truly a one-of-a-kind. With that in mind, the Board of Directors has appointed Dale as Sergeant-of-Arms Emeritus of Emmaus Rotary Club. This not only provides Dale with the recognition he deserves for being an outstanding sergeant for so long. But, will allow him to continue to assess fines from time to time! Congratulations, Dale! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - February 6, 2018 The month of February is very special in the Rotary calendar because it includes the anniversary of the first meeting of Rotary held on February 23, 1905, now designated as the World Understanding and Peace Day. Rotary has also designated the entire month of February as World Understanding Month and asked all Rotary clubs to plan a special program to promote "understanding and goodwill as essential for world peace." In that spirit, I am looking forward to Jim Palmquist’s presentation this week entitled: “Could War End in This Century?” A timely topic indeed! For those of you who don’t know, Jim is an active member of the Rotary Action Group for Peace and is working with others in the District to promote projects in this important Area of Focus. Jim has also facilitated our club’s involvement in a Global Grant partnering with Mediators Without Borders to train women as peacebuilders throughout South America. At an international level, Rotary International President Ian H.S. Riseley is using his presidential conferences in 2018 to explore the connection between peace and Rotary’s five other areas of focus plus environmental sustainability. By focusing on the areas where Rotary does its most significant work, the series seeks to:
The first of these conferences on Environmental Sustainability and Peace will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada this weekend. Over 1,000 Rotarians and guests are expected to attend. Through connections I made at the RI Convention in Atlanta last June, I facilitated an invitation for Maria Rodale to speak at this conference. With her family’s heritage as pioneering the organic movement in this country and its linkage of healthy foods with healthy soil through the work of the Rodale Institute, Maria’s participation seemed a natural fit. The other RI presidential conferences are as follows:
We can all be proud of our contributions to Rotary’s work around the world in promoting understanding and goodwill as essential elements for world peace. It is humbling to recognize that we are all peacemakers when we touch the lives of others. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Joint Rotary & Interact Meeting at Emmaus High SchoolThursday, February 1st, the Emmaus Rotary Club and the Interact Club at Emmaus High School held a joint meeting. After a dinner of pizza and opening ceremonies, President Burt Duran introduced the Interact Club faculty advisor who brought up the Interact club president who spoke briefly about several service projects the 100 member club has undertaken this school year. She noted that playing bingo with Senior residents at Mosser is a favorite activity. Jason Bowen, last year's first place winner of the 4 Way Test speech contest, encouraged others to join him in the competition this year. President Burt Duran invited graduating seniors who have been active in the Interact Club for 2 years or more to apply for Emmaus Rotary Club scholarships. Forms will be available from Interact advisors and the guidance office the week of February 26th. Completed applications are due back by March 28th at 2:30 p.m. In addition to Interact club membership, applicants should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate a passion for community service. From Rotary's Timeline: 1962 - the first Rotary Interact Club was formed in Melbourne, Florida, USA He also encouraged rising seniors, the current club juniors, to consider attending Camp Neidig this June. Emmaus Club member Gary Rohrbach will attend a future Interact meeting to give details about this four day weekend, leadership development camp. Burt then introduced Tony Moyer who is our club liaision to the Interact Club to present the evening's activity....painting little libraries which will be placed at each of East Penn School District's 7 elementary schools. Interact students raised $500 toward the purchase of the prefab, unfinished little libraries. The total cost for seven boxes was $1,827 with a 10% discount. Emmaus Rotary paid the balance due. The little libraries were painted Rotary "blue" and will feature logos from both Interact and Rotary. Children and families will be able to take a book home and/or leave a book for others. Look for them this Spring.
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President's Message - January 30, 2018
I hope all of you are planning to attend our annual joint dinner meeting with the Emmaus High School Interact Club. The meeting replaces our normal weekly breakfast meeting and will begin on Thursday February 1st at 5.30pm in the EHS Cafeteria. In the first part of the meeting, we will hear from the EHS Interact officers about their activities. We will also the terrific opportunities offered through our youth programs including Camp Neidig, the Four Way Test Speech Contest and our club-sponsored Scholarship Program. All of this will be taking place as we enjoy a pizza supper courtesy of Mike Lahanas. During the second part of the meeting, the students will be painting and decorating seven Little Libraries which will be installed later this year at each of the elementary schools in the East Penn School district. The above photo is an example of a Little Library project between a Rotary Club and an Interact Club in Vincennes, Indiana. Our Little Libraries project is a joint service project of our two clubs inspired by Youth Committee Chair Dr. Anthony Moyer and Interact Faculty Advisor Samantha McFarland. If you are interested in participating with the students as they paint and decorate, please bring a smock to protect your clothes. See you on Thursday! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Smooth On Wows Emmaus Rotary ClubEmmaus Rotary experienced a real treat last Thursday at Smooth-On in Lower Macungie Township. After a brief meeting and breakfast at the companies training and seminar wing, owner Trey Bianco gave our club quite a tour. To learn more about Smooth-On, visit their website at www.smooth-on.com.  Mind Blowing Materials for |
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Paul Harris Fellows HonoredLast week Bill Erdman and Jim Palmquist presented 13 Paul Harris Awards to Emmaus Rotarians. Gary Guthrie and Don Blose were presented with their first Paul Harris and 11 others where honored with +1 or more. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of US$1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. It was established in 1957 to show appreciation for and encourage substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships. Congratulations to Gary Guthrie, Don Blose, Steve Gould, Ann Peaslee, Don Seagreaves, Eileen Prokop, Ceil Birdsell, Ron Stocker, Mark Erle, Lexa Shallcross, Burt Duren, Eric Loch and Dale Dries. Dale was unable to attend and was missed by all. The Rotary Foundation is the major way Rotary Clubs around the world support our humanitarian work. Every Rotarian is encouraged to contribute to the Foundation by giving $100 a year. This is called EREY or Every Rotarian Every Year. If you have been sending the change from your twenty dollar bill down to the EREY table when you sign -in, you are on your way to being awarded a Paul Harris recognition for contributing $1,000 to the Foundation. e
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President's Message - January 23, 2018 The February 2018 edition of The Rotarian magazine arrived at my house about a week ago. This monthly publication is always full of inspiring and informative stories. But, this month was exceptionally good with its emphasis on the theme of peace. If you haven’t taken the time to browse through the stories, here are a few that I recommend to each of you:
Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Help Staff 4 Way Test Speech Contestfrom Tony Moyer
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Club Dues Are Due |
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Matthew Goerke - Memory SwitchMatthew Goerke
American Memory Master Creator of The Memory Switch Program Emmaus Rotary was "wowed" in 15 words this past Thursday. An impressive presentation indeed. 1)Tree 2)Light switch 3)Stool 4)Car 5)Glove 6)Gun 7)Dice 8)Skate 9)Cat 10)Bowling ball 11)Goalposts 12)Eggs 13)Witch 14)Ring 15)Paycheck Matthew Goerke is regarded as one of America’s leading experts in the field of Memory Development. He has shared with thousands of business professionals from all walks of life the techniques for developing an instant recall memory with results that can only be described as amazing. Matthew has worked with such well know speakers as Zig Zigler, Ed Forman,Vic Conant and Tony Robbins. He has trained executives from corporations including AT&T, Prudential, Exxon,Wells Fargo, Merck Pharmaceutical and Coldwell Banker, and government agencies such as the United States Postal Service and the Defense Department. Matthew has also had a tremendous impact in educational settings, having personally trained thousands of students and teachers at all academic levels. Matthew is the developer of the “Memory Switch Program” the most utilized program of its kind ever developed and for that reason is a sought after guest and has appeared on hundreds of radio and television talk shows. His live workshop entitled “The Memory Switch” will instruct people in the new advances in memory technology as well as help them gain insight into how these methods are in direct alignment with helping people achieve both business and personal goals. |
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President's Message - January 16, 2018 This week, the leaders of Rotary International are gathered in San Diego for this year's International Assembly. In addition to the RI Board of Directors and senior officers, all of the 2018-2019 District Governors are on hand for this meeting - including our own Cindy Hornaman. I received a text from Cindy on Monday morning with the message "You saw it here first!". She attached a photo of incoming Rotary International President Barry Rassin's theme for 2018-2019: "BE THE INSPIRATION". Later on Monday, Rassin spoke to the assembled DGEs about the new theme. “I want you to inspire in your clubs, your Rotarians, that desire for something greater. The drive to do more, to be more, to create something that will live beyond each of us. Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” Rassin urged leaders to look at all of Rotary’s service as part of a larger global system. He said that this means the incoming DGs must be an inspiration not only to clubs, but also to their communities. “We want the good we do to last. We want to make the world a better place. Not just here, not just for us, but everywhere, for everyone, for generations.” The need in our local community and all over the world is so great. But the power and reach of Rotary makes such a huge difference in the lives of many every day. Let's commit ourselves to Mr. Rassin's vision to "Be The Inspiration" for unity, for taking the actions necessary to create lasting change and to make the world a better place. Yours in Rotary, Burt
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Lily's Hope...Successful Drive |
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President’s Message - January 9, 2018Many thanks to those of you who braved the snow and cold to attend the Club Assembly last Thursday. This was our first meeting in the second half of Rotary's fiscal year (which runs from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018). In my presentation, I reviewed the changing roles among club officers and highlighted upcoming club, district and international events. I also presented a mid-year progress report on key goals in the 2017-2018 Strategic Plan. I used red check marks to denote goals on which progress has been good and red upward-pointing arrows to indicate goals on which more work needs to be done. Click here for a copy of the Club Assembly PowerPoint presentation and our mid-term grades. I ended the Assembly with some terrific news. I announced that our club has completed the necessary requirements to earn both the Rotary International Presidential Citation and the District Governor Citation for this Rotary year. This is a testament to the hard work and focus exhibited by all of you during the first half of 2017-2018. It is a remarkable achievement to earn both awards in only six months. Thanks very much to each and every member for your awesome level of engagement and commitment! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President’s Message - January 2, 2018Happy New Year 2018! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season with friends and family. It feels great to start fresh with a brand new year and everything it promises for all of us. In Rotary, January 1st is actually the half-way point of our operating year. So, while are counting the blessings of the past calendar year, we are also seeking to finish our Rotary year on a high note by achieving as many of our goals as possible. This week’s club assembly is a terrific opportunity to celebrate the club’s success during the last six months and to focus our attention on the what lies ahead of us in the coming six months. See you on Thursday morning! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Merry Christmas from Naughty and Nice Merry Christmas from Our Naughty and Nice Rotarians you choose who is Naughty and who is nice!!!
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Roger Whitcomb on American policy in Russia Roger's picture from his early days at Kutztown University. Roger took the time out of his busy schedule to bring us up to date on his thoughts on Russia and Putin today. He gave some interesting ideas about Putin and what the world thinks of him today. However Roger believes that we as the western world need to take some responsibility for the way that Putin is acting on the world stage today. Roger explains that while Putin was rising to power the Russian people a proud people were subject to decolonization, De- Add to dictionary, De collectivism, few societies have ever undergone such a transformation in such a short period of time. Result of all this change along with economic destabilization it produced an angry society. Yeltsin turned to the West for help received a lot of theory but no monies to back the theories. Putin was the person that could change the landscape. In 1998 there was a severe economic downtown in Russia, giving Putin the ability to rise in the Russian world. Yeltsin handpicked Putin. In 1999 Yeltsin came on to TV gave an emotional speech describing his tenure in his Presidency. The event that gave Putin his power was the war in Chechnya. Putin proved he could stop the De Colonization of Mother Russia. Dr. Roger Whitcomb did an incredible job of explaining why Putin and Russia are where they at today. Please see Roger's who Speech on You Tube to be available in two weeks on Emmaus Rotary You Tube. If you have some interest in what Roger had to say please take a moment and read his book "The Cold War in Retrospect: The Formative Years". Dr Whitcomb spent 34 years as a Political Science Professor at Kutztown University. He has also spent considerable time traveling back and forth to Russia where he lectured at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He spent considerable amounts of time doing research in the archives of the Former Soviet Union. Today Roger is Retired and spends a lot of his time traveling with his wonderful wife. |
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Our favorite servers at Brookside Burt took time out of our busy Holiday meeting to present a token of our Gratitude to our gracious Thursday morning servers at Brookside. Robert and Taylor take extremely good care of our club and we are very appreciative of their hard work and dedication to the Emmaus Rotary Club. Along with Burt and the executive team and all of our members thank you to a great Front of the House team along with their counter parts that produce the delicious breakfast each and every Thursday morning at Brookside. Thank you!!! |
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Emmaus Rotarians A CapellaThursday was an interesting morning. With snow around us I was welcomed with an e-mail from the school that there was a 2 hour delay. This means that the A Capella group from Emmaus High School would not be joining us. The School has rules about students driving themselves to events. The A Capella group was cancelled. However Burt being the creative thinker that he is suggested we do our own A Capella singing group with the Rotarians that made the meeting. In front of the Christmas tree at Brookside and under the tutelage of the famous piano player, Sue Straeter along with the wonderful voices of Carl Frantz, and JP we did our best. Burt led the group and I hope Santa was listening because there are a few of us that are hoping Santa could do his magic and give us a singing voice for Christmas. Most importantly we had fun. I do hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season. I will leave you with a picture of our President leading our group of magical Rotarians through our meeting Thursday morning. You can see the intensity in his eyes. See you Thursday morning.  |
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President’s Message - December 19, 2017 For those of you who missed last week’s meeting, you were in good company. A number of members decided to avoid slippery roads caused by the overnight snowfall. And, as a result of a two-hour weather delay in East Penn School District, the Emmaus High School Select Chorale was unable to perform. For those of you who braved the elements, we enjoyed a relaxed time of sharing and singing holiday songs. This was actually a rare luxury as we often need to rush through the normal volume of club business, announcements, happy dollars/fines, etc. to leave ample time for the speaker. One element of last week’s meeting deserves special mention. We recognized the long-time service of Ray Schumaker as club secretary. For many years, Ray has done a yeoman’s job maintaining membership and dues records, recording the minutes of board meetings, coordinating club elections and so much more. As Sue Straeter said last week, Ray holds much of the “institutional memory” of our club which has been invaluable to me and other club leaders. In appreciation for his service, the club presented Ray with a gift and the next level of Paul Harris Fellow recognition (PH+2). Ray will be succeeded by Jim Palmquist effective January 1, 2018. Thank you Jim for stepping up to this role. You have big shoes to fill, but we are confident you will do a terrific job and look forward to working with you in the future. Yours in Rotary, Burt
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Embrace your dreams  Fred Keller executive Director and Ray Dandrea Program Director for "Embrace your Dreams" took time out of their busy schedules to come and speak at our club meeting last week. "Embrace your Dreams" consists of two parts; one being the First Tee Program and the other the New Jersey Tennis League (NJTL) tennis program. The First Tee Life Skills Curriculum is divided into three levels, starting with Par (for beginners) and progressing through Birdie and Eagle. The Par level focuses on the fundamental communication and self-management skills. The Birdie level deals primarily with goal-setting. The Eagle level gives participants advanced instruction and practice on mastering Par and Birdie level skills, as well as additional topics, such as conflict management, mentoring, and career planning. The NJTL Life Skills Curriculum is also divided into three levels—Game, Set and Match. The program supplies the kids with everything they need to be successful in the program. Coaching is the most important step in providing effective education in the sport and in life. Both the First Tee and the NJTL look to give every young person the opportunity to learn important life skills. Skills we may take for granted, Sportsmanship, Perseverance, Courtesy, Honesty, and play using a set of rules. The young people have these opportunities afforded to them because of Fred and Ray's willingness to get coaches, staff and many many volunteers to come out and help the children become responsible citizens. The program is working but in the Northeast because of the weather most of the programs are directed in the summer months. This means that throughout the year these kids may lose some of the things they learned and need to readjust the next summer. Fred and Ray are working on a way to get the kids to have activities after school in a new facility they acquired with help from the City of Bethlehem. In this old warehouse they can keep teaching year round. The youth are provided with all of the equipment they need to learn the sport they choose to be in. Gold clubs, balls, gloves, bags, tees etc are all provided along with tennis rackets, and balls for the NJTL program. If you would like to see the entire program please go to Emmaus Rotary on You Tube and you can listen and watch the entire program from last week courtesy of John Chisca. If you would like to volunteer or become a coach or just see what "embrace your Dreams" has to offer please go to their website www.embraceyourdreams.org. |
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President’s Message - December 12, 2017.jpg) The holiday season is upon us. Homes are decorated with beautiful Christmas trees and colorful lights. We had our first snowfall last weekend. The local all-holiday music station is playing favorites from Nat King Cole to The Beach Boys and Mariah Carey. And, I’ve even heard a few silly Christmas jokes... Do you know the Four Stages of Life?
This week’s program at Emmaus Rotary Club is another great holiday tradition. For the fourth year in a row, we’ll be entertained by the Emmaus High School Select Choir as they perform several musical selections of the season in their unique a cappella style. Under the direction of Rita Cortez, this talented choir performs all over our area during every holiday season. And we are very fortunate to have them with us once again. Please invite friends and family to attend with you this week. I guarantee these talented young people will uplift your spirit and leave you with several tunes that you will have the joy of playing over and over in your mind over the next few weeks. See you on Thursday! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President’s Message - December 5, 2017Rotary International has assigned a theme to each month in the Rotary year. We just completed Rotary Foundation Month in November. In December, Rotary focuses on Disease Prevention and Treatment. Disease results in misery, pain and poverty for millions of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is such an important part of Rotary’s mission. Rotarians combat diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and, of course, polio. And while prevention is important, Rotarians carry out many projects emphasizing health education and delivering routine hearing, vision and dental care. With the support of The Rotary Foundation, Rotarians have achieved amazing results in disease treatment and prevention such as:
Obviously, disease does not prevent itself. Your gifts to The Rotary Foundation support hundreds of health projects underway around the world at any given time. In this special time of year when we celebrate the giving and receiving of gifts, I hope you will join me in making a special contribution to The Rotary Foundation to support educating and equipping communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Lisa Wolf Opiods and their effect on our population Lisa Wolf is the Director of Prevention for the Center for Humanistic Change. What an interesting concept Lisa explained during her presentation on Thursday morning. Opioids such as Oxycodone, Tramadol etc are being prescribed by physicians for people who have just come out of surgery to relieve the effects of pain. But what happens after the pain is gone but the enjoyment of the pain killer is not. This was part of her presentation. Opioids are expensive but Herion is not expensive but can have similar effects on the human body. She told the story of three young people of which two were Athletes. The athletes had minor surgeries and the teenagers were prescribed pain medication to help with the pain. Eventually the pain went away but the addiction for the pain killer did not. Both of the athletes and the other teenager died from an overdose. Some of the overdose was from what the heroin was laced with (Fentanyl). Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug equal to 50 times one dose of morphine. It is used in surgeries in very small amounts. Black market drugs, such as Heroin are laced with this drug and make them more powerful on the human body. Probably what happened to these three individuals from what we were told. Lisa's talk helped us understand one of the ways to counter act this new wave of Heroin in our society is through education. Educate our most vulnerable populace our children. However, heroin addiction is not limited to any social or economic group. The best way the Center for humanistic change has found to combat heroin and other addictions is through education of not only the children but the parents, police, and the judicial system.  Lisa is a graduate of Lehigh University and DeSales University where she received her Masters in Education. Center for Humanistic change is CHC is dedicated to the philosophy that people learn best by doing. They are grounded in the humanistic approach to education, which means they believe that learning is most effective when it engages the whole person--head, heart, and hands.
Their programs focus on helping people of all ages learn to make healthy decisions and increase their resiliency for managing change and life's challenges. Their educational philosophy has its roots in four major disciplines:
CHC's holistic, humanistic approach to education engages the whole person. They strive to help people develop their mental, emotional, and behavioral abilities to the fullest. CHC programs are dynamic--Their participants learn through discussions, role-plays, art and writing projects, and other activities. Humanistic education emphasizes the link between what is learned and how it applies to daily life. "Humanistic change" is the process of developing our personal assets and strengths, and using them to make conscious, responsible choices in our lives. If you would like more information please visit the website for the Center for Humanistic Change: www.thechc.org |
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President's Message - November 28, 2017I trust everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. Donna and I went to our house in the Virginia mountains for an extra long weekend visiting with our son and daughter-in-law and their friends. I also spent the better part of two days on the business end of a leaf blower clearing our yard and quarter-mile long driveway of this year’s leaf fall. Moving leaves is very different from my “day job” - it’s more labor intensive, but also provides loads of time for quiet thinking surrounded by natural beauty. I look forward to next year! Two quick reminders about this week’s meeting: #1: Our speaker will be Lisa Wolff from the Center for Humanistic Change. Lisa leads the Heroin and Opioid Prevention Education (HOPE) program for the Center. I suspect most of us have friends, family members or acquaintances who been affected by the opioid crisis in some way. I look forward to learning more from Lisa. #2: The board of directors will meet immediately following Lisa’s presentation. Committee leaders: please be prepared to make a short report on the work of your teams (or forward a short summary to me before Thursday if you prefer). Of course, members are welcome to attend board meetings as guests anytime. See you on Thursday. Yours in Rotary, Burt
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Africa VTTThursday morning was an event. The Vocational Training team that traveled to Africa had a few moments to tell us about their experience. This was one of the first VTT for secondary school ever undertaken by Rotary. The focus was science and social science curriculum. Melissa and Michael the teachers from East Penn that had the enviable position of having two weeks in Zambia in the town of Emufa (Em FU eA). The group traveled with over 1000 pounds of equipment, and their own clothes. They showed us their wonderful and eventful morning drive to school every day that went through one of the most animal rich parks in the world. Lions, Giraffe's, Elephants, Birds, Cheetah's etc. I think you get the picture. Along with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. You can see the you tube presentation at Emmaus Rotary you tube. (Half of it anyway. My half is getting there) Below are some pictures taken during the trip.     In the pictures above you can see the school, Cindy giving a talk at the school and the expansiveness of the daily items Melissa and Michael used to help educate the students with science. Also a picture of the animals present in the park on the drive back and forth to school. Please watch the You Tube presentation to her what Michael and Melissa have to say about their adventure into Zambia.    |
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President’s Message - November 14, 2017In this season of Thanksgiving, we are reminded to count our blessings and to raise up those in need. One way to help others is to contribute to our club’s fund raising efforts for ShelterBox. Many lost their homes due to recent hurricanes and floods and ShelterBox has provided much needed help as the victims begin the process of rebuilding. Click here to learn more about current relief efforts by ShelterBox around the world. Each ShelterBox costs $1000. With your gifts so far, we have almost raised enough funds to fund two ShelterBoxes. We will be passing the basket at Thursday morning’s meeting for the last time in this funds drive, so please be prepared to give generously. Please make your checks payable to the Emmaus Rotary Club Foundation. Yours in Rotary, Burt PS - Don’t miss this week’s fellowship event at House & Barn (1449 Chestnut St, Emmaus) on Wednesday November 15 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The event will feature a cash bar and the club will provide light snacks. We held a similar event at House & Barn last year which members really enjoyed. Thanks very much to Fellowship Committee co-chairs Bryce Ruggieri & Valerie Deneen and your entire team for organizing this event. Hope to see many of you on Wednesday evening! |
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Emily Knudson and her new normal September was Cancer awareness month for Childhood Cancer. Our programs were booked and we had to wait until November to hear and learn more about childhood cancer and its effects on a local family. Emily Knudson was a former employee of mine when I owned he Emmaus Bakery. Her Father Andy Werner Partner of Chris DePaolo was my accountant. Andy and Maggie his wife were so proud of their first grandchild Jack. Jack was his life. All he could talk about, Emily's and Howie's first child. Emily and Howie met at Northeast University where both of them received their Master's in Children's physical therapy. Just a little about Emily's and Howie. Jack, William and their adopted daughter Mimi were a family. Jack was 4 years old. He was having trouble with his clothes. Both parents are in Health care. They knew they needed to see the Dr right away. An airlift from LVHN to CHOPS in Philadelphia. As she describes the helicopter ride I was in a helicopter with three healthy children. Jack was diagnosed with Brain Cancer. After an operation on an inoperable tumor, some of the tumor was removed. Jack survived the operation, they had to try to do something because Jack was stroking. The Dr. was not even certain Jack was going to survive the original operation. After three days in Intensive care Jack was on a long road to getting better. He is now 14 and the cancer is still there. He goes to school every day. But Emily and Howie and William and Mimi never know what tomorrow will bring. Their new normal. Jack has some difficulty with his sight, his sight is half gone, his right side is compromised, but Jack is a trooper. Jack as Andy says is a very special child. He makes everyone happy. Jack will be entering high school next year in the Southern Lehigh school district, and trying out for the track team shot putting, yes he is that special. The coach was a little apprehensive but after talking with his teachers who said to the coach "you would love to have 100 kids with the heart, passion and focus" that Jack has. One of the most difficult things they had to endure as parents was the time they had to spend with Jack. Both of the other children, William and Mimi were not getting the attention that Emily knew that they deserved. A really tough problem for Emily and Howie. If you ever have the chance to meet Emily you will understand. She is a barrel of energy and full of love for her family. Emily is still figuring out her new normal with the help and understanding of her family. Howie, William, and Mimi are all on board with their brother. If you missed the program, it will be up on you Tube in approximately two weeks. It is a story worth watching and listening to. Pictures will be available there. |
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President’s Message - November 7, 2017November is Rotary Foundation Month. It has been said that the Rotary Foundation is the engine that enables Rotarians to do good in the world. And, in last week’s note, I urged all members to contribute at least $100 to the Foundation during the 2017-2018 Rotary year. I am really looking forward to Thursday morning’s program because we will hear about an amazing project led by our club which was made possible by a Global Grant from the Rotary Foundation. Of course, I’m speaking about the Vocational Training Team to Mfuwe, Zambia which was comprised of Emmaus High School teachers Melissa Montero and Mike Mihalik, as well as our own Cindy and Chris Hornaman. The goal of the VTT was to enhance curriculum and teaching techniques for physical science and social studies at the secondary school in Mfuwe. On Thursday, the team will share their experiences of traveling to Zambia and their work with the administration, faculty and students. And you will better understand how your gifts to the Foundation are creating lasting change in the lives of students, teachers and families in one small corner of Africa. You don’t want to miss their presentation! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - OCTOBER 31, 2017.jpg) Can you believe we’re down to the last two months of 2017? Tomorrow we flip the calendar to November – known throughout the Rotary universe as THE ROTARY FOUNDATION MONTH. The Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of Rotary - a non-profit that is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of The Rotary Foundation who share its vision of a better world. Its sole mission is to support the efforts of Rotarians in the achievement of world understanding and peace through local, national and international humanitarian and educational programs in our own back yard and around the globe. The Rotary Foundation was created a century ago by Rotary International’s sixth president, Arch C. Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary “to do good in the world.” It has grown from an initial contribution in 1917 of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City to over $4 billion in total contributions. The Rotary Foundation made its first grant of $500.00 to the International Society for Crippled Children in 1930, and to this day, it continues to “do good in the world” in the name of Rotary. Past President Paulo Costa said: “Rotary International’s masterpiece is The Rotary Foundation. It transforms our dreams into splendid realities . . . it is the most generous expression of Rotarian generosity - a generosity that not only brings benefits but also brings help and cooperation to solve the problems that affect mankind. The Rotary Foundation achieves the best that mankind can possibly achieve.” Every year, we ask our members to donate to The Rotary Foundation. If you are able, we ask that you give at least $100. Of course, larger gifts are welcomed, too. So far this year, 47 of our 90 members have donated to the Foundation, and 32 of the 47 have donated at least $100. Total donations by our members to the Foundation’s Annual Fund thus far in the 2017-2018 are $8,093 which leads all clubs in District 7430. Because of your generosity, we are well on our way to exceeding our Annual Fund goal of $20,000 for this Rotary year. WHAT CAN YOUR $100.00 DONATION TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION DO? Your $100 donation to The Rotary Foundation can help provide textbooks for one elementary school in Zambia, provide a hearing aid for a deaf child in Pakistan, buy de-worming tablets for 112 children in the Philippines, pay for cataract operations for three blind people in India, or provide 230 blankets for the elderly in the winter months of Korea. WILL YOU COMMIT TODAY TO A GIFT OF AT LEAST $100 AND START MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES? Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Lehigh Valley Real Estate Steve Gould & Pete Adams This morning we had the pleasure of having Steve Gould and Peter Adams sit in at the last moment to give a detailed report of where the Lehigh Valley's Real Estate market is and where these two experts believe it is headed. Steve is one of the founding partners of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate | Valley Partners in Emmaus along with his wife Renee, Carl Billera and his father in Law Gordon Schantz. Steve has been in the real Estate business for over 15 years. His understanding of what is happening in our area is second only to his father in laws. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate | Valley Partners was just voted the 18th fastest growing business in the Lehigh Valley up from 25th in 2016. Steve gave some statistics on the inventory in the Lehigh Valley in the fall of 2017. He based this presentation on his perspective from his presentation from 2012. 2012 was a tough year for the real estate market. He stated that a lot of the small and medium sized builders went out of business. The real estate market was a buyers market, in 2012, prices were down, Mortgage rates were down, perfect time to buy. Moving onto 2017 a great year to buy and a great year to sell. Mortgage rates are low, inventories are the lowest in his real estate career. The Millennials are the ones buying property in our area. They do not want to mow grass and they are not interest in renovations, they are wanting a move in ready product. Steve explained that new construction has different zoning and engineering requirements then they did just 5 years ago which makes building a lot more expensive than 5 years ago. Prices are holding right now, FHA loans are the most popular loans right now....3.5% down with PMI. Sellers assist is an important part of the home buying process today. Home pricing are holding their own creeping up at around 2% per year as an average. Average price for a home selling in 2017 in east Penn was around the $248,000 mark with a median of $220,000. Pete had a few seconds to discuss the Commercial market in the Lehigh Valley. He described the trials and tribulations of the emerging market in Allentown. Office space is renting at about $15 per square foot depending on Gross or triple net leases. Pete's personal opinion is that the commercial real estate market is healthy at this time. Downtown Allentown...we should have a feel in about 5 years if everything is working for Real Estate in the Allentown area. We can all see the warehousing market that is moving along the I 78 corridor and extends from Easton to below Cabela's. The You tube video will be up in about two weeks and you can listen to what Steve and Pete had to say. Again thank you to Pete and Steve for stepping in when we needed them to. Please see Steve or Pete if you have any real estate questions with respect to his presentation. |
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President's Message - October 24, 2017Are you a fan of the movies? My wife and I are definitely cinephiles. In many years, we have seen all of the films nominated in the six major Academy Award categories (Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress & Director) before Oscars night. Whether it’s a film at the local theatre or streaming on Netflix or Apple TV, we love seeing great stories brought to life on film. I am writing this on October 24, otherwise known as World Polio Day. To bring attention to its global eradication efforts, Rotary is promoting the film Breathe. This is a film I’m really looking forward to seeing. Starring Andrew Garfield (Academy Award nominee for his role as Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss in Hacksaw Ridge) and Claire Foy (Golden Globe winner for her role as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown), Breathe is the true story of Robin Cavendish. Robin contracted polio in Kenya in 1958. Almost immediately, he was paralyzed from the neck down and confined to a hospital ward. He needed the assistance of a breathing machine to stay alive and was told he would not survive more than a few months. With the help of his wife Diana and a groundbreaking invention by one of his friends, Robin not only escaped the hospital, but lived a full and passionate life - raising his son, traveling the world and devoting his life to helping other polio patients.  At the heart of this movie about polio is a celebration of positivity, bravery, and human possibility - a theme which struck a chord with Andrew Garfield. At the film’s opening at the London Film Festival earlier this year, Garfield said “Robin Cavendish fought for value of life. He fought to make life meaningful and not just survive it, but to live a rich and connected life. Out of such loss and suffering, [Robin & Diana] created such joy, and that’s just an inspiration for all of us. What I saw in their story was a template of how to live. How to live a life of meaning with the inevitable loss incorporated into one’s life.” As Rotarians, we are all engaged in the same fight for the “value of life” championed by Robin Cavendish. Our service on community projects right here in the East Penn area, as well as participation in the End Polio Now initiative and other projects funded by The Rotary Foundation, enables us to “live a life of meaning” and to help others “live a rich and connected life.” Maybe I’ll see you at the theatre when Breathe comes to our area. In the meantime, take a moment to watch the trailer by clicking here. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Installment of New Members and perfect attendance members Thursday morning we had the pleasure of JP and his committee inducting 4 new members into our club. Each new member has a sponsor and their sponsors had a few minutes to introduce each new member and tell a little story about them. Bruce Fosselman introduced the first new member Richard Ward. Bruce works with Rich's wife in the office of Lower Macungie Township offices. Rich works as a Senior Vice President of Alliance Advisors in New Jersey. In June Rich was appointed to the Lower Macungie board of Commissioners. He served on several Lower Macungie Township Committees before taking on the responsibility of commissioner. The second member to be inducted was Elijah Ngugi. Elijah could not make the presentation but Nelly, Elijah's sister and sponsor had a few words to say in his absence. Elijah was born in East Africa, he is studying to be a minister following in their father's footsteps. He has a Masters in Clinical Counseling and he is presently practicing counseling today. He wrote a book "The Eagle that refused to dance with the chicken". Our next inductee is not new to the club but she has been traveling with her husband Gary Rohrbach on many Rotary trips through out Gary's career in Rotary. Dee Rohrbach worked for Gary's Tree service until her retirement last year. Gary, her husband and Cindy Hornamann were co sponsors for Dee for membership. Ceil Birdsell had the pleasure of introducing her new member Kelliann Herman. Kelliann is currently employed by LVHN, and has been for the past 35 years. She is a senior specialist (student Affairs) in the department of education. She is responsible for Student affairs with regards to LVHN's partnership with the University of South Florida. She coordinates transitioning students from the select medical student program of USF. Bob Rust presented new member pins. Don Blose gave out tee shirts to the new members and Valerie Deneen explained the 4 way test. JP had the pleasure of presenting perfect attendance pins to a number of Emmaus Rotary members. Our first members are new perfect attendance receivers. This included Jeff McElhaney, Cindy Hornaman and Don Blose. Burt Duren has 4 years perfect attendance, Fred Herman has 5 years, JP has 11 years, Dale Dries has 45 years, and Wilmer Schultz who has 67 years of perfect attendance. Please take a moment and introduce yourself to the new members and thank the perfect attendees for their service to the Emmaus Rotary Club.  .JPG) |
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Check Presentation Macungie Ambulance Corps Gary Guthrie had the pleasure of presenting a $3500 check to Chris Greg Operations manager for Macungie Ambulance Corps. He actually brought in a Stair Chair for everyone to see what our contribution was used for. The Stair chair is used to move people up and down stairs. This particular chair will be in service as of this Thursday. The Chair is actually powered to make the climb or descent on any set of stairs more convenient for the patient and the corps person.
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Emmaus Remembrance GardensImagine a visionary group (Emmaus Vision 2000) of individuals in 2000 on borough council. Roger Whitcomb (On Borough Council), Mike Waddell (would be elected to Borough Council), and Tom Gettings. As Roger says a labor of love getting groups of individuals together that developed ideas and strategies to improve lives in Emmaus. Early on Mike took an unexpected trip to see his Dad in Hawthorne Nevada. In Hawthorne Mike saw a rose garden dedicated to the people in this small community. There were 900 roses planted in memory of its town and the people that lived there. Mike kept his pictures (as we all did back then) in a box where old pictures stay until someone has a chance to look through them or accidently threw them away. While thinking of and developing ideas as a team of volunteers Mike remembered his trip to Nevada and dug out the pictures. Mike, Tom and Roger looked at several spots in Emmaus to see where the placement of the garden would be. The Emmaus Borough and the team of three decided on and asked the Borough to use a plot of land at the Knauss Homestead. The Borough Council agreed and gave them a lease on the property for 25 years and as Roger states for the Princely sum of $1.00 per year. The first meeting took place in 2003. Roger, Mike and Tom spent time going to businesses and leaders such as Brent Peters (Pres of East Penn Bank), the Rodale family, and many others, along with Air Products where they met with Tim Holt who promised the committee $15,000 over three years and as Mike said he received the check in a lump sum and Air Products was happy for the committee to keep it and use it immediately. Borough council was instrumental in helping both financially and with support of some borough services. Mike, Roger and Tom with a support team of volunteers, along with business plan, their architectural plans all agreed they would not break ground until they had $50,000 in hand. The dream was realized and ground was broken. The Garden had several different walkways, one for Veterans, one for Families, etc. Anyone can support the garden by purchasing a brick and having it placed in the Emmaus Remembrance Garden. To date they have placed over 600 bricks dedicated to volunteers, families and Veterans because someone wants to memorialized with a living memory. Please some photos below or go to the remembrance garden website for more information. https://www.emmausremembers.org    Tom Gettings is a Marine (never former if you are a Marine), Roger a Veteran was the first Veteran speaker at the Garden. If you have a chance please help with our Garden clean up or support the Garden with the donation of a brick for a loved one or a family member or someone you know that may have served or are serving now. Please give Mike and Roger your thanks for all they do in our community.
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President's Message - October 17, 2017.jpg) Many of you have probably seen the announcements from Rotary International about World Polio Day on October 24. RI will host a webcast from the headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at 5.30pm Eastern Time (you can watch the event live by clicking on this link). Sue Desmond-Hellmann, the Gates Foundation’s chief executive, will discuss this year’s progress with attendees including Rotary members, Gates Foundation staff and supporters, as well as the audience watching worldwide via livestream. Only 11 new cases of wild poliovirus have been reported so far in 2017 - all in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Other speakers will include Jay Wenger, director of the Gates Foundation’s polio eradication efforts; Dean Rohrs, vice president of Rotary International; wrestler John Cena and singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage, Rotary polio ambassadors; Ade Adepitan, a Paralympian and polio survivor; and Jeffrey Kluger, senior editor at Time magazine overseeing science and health reporting. Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield, stars of the upcoming movie “Breathe,” and director Andy Serkis will also speak. “Breathe” is based on the true story of a polio survivor who became an advocate for others. Locally, District 7430 held its own polio-themed event this past Saturday. The 7th Annual Yvette Palmer Purple Pinkie 5K Run/Walk took place at Lehigh Carbon Community College with over 120 Rotarians and friends participating or volunteering at the event - including seven from Emmaus Rotary Club. Race participants and walkers heard inspiring remarks from Carol Ferguson from Doylestown Rotary just before the race. Carol was one of three polio survivors on hand for the event. Emmaus Rotary participated as a club sponsor at the $1,500 level. Special thanks to those of you who collectively contributed $400 to sponsor me in this event! A total of $28,000 was raised through the generosity of several corporate sponsors, race fees from participants, contributions from thirty-five D7430 Rotary Clubs, and support of participants' sponsors! This is a substantial increase over the $17,500 raised at last year’s event. With the 2 for 1 match from the Gates Foundation, this year’s $28,000 amount will be tripled to $84,000 which will fund vaccinations for over 110,000 children! We are so close to eliminating this dread disease once and for all. Thanks again for your generous support! Yours in Rotary, Burt     .jpg) |
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President's Message - October 10, 2017As we head into the fourth quarter, there are many ways members can Make A Difference through the work of our club. In the month of October alone, members can:
 I hope all of you will participate in at least one of these opportunities to Make A Difference this month. Thank you for your service and generosity! Yours in Rotary, Burt PS – Here’s the link to last week’s Club Assembly presentation (apologies for the poor quality of some of the images in this PDF version of the presentation). Thanks to all of you who commented at the meeting and via email. More to come on the banner discussion at a later date. |
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Chemists Without Borders Ankit Shastri What you see here is a well being dug in Bangladesh. Ankita Shastri a graduate of Parkland High School, graduate of Boston University, and a Post Graduate of Harvard University with a PhD in Chemistry. She started volunteering for Chemists without borders in 2015. Her first position was to develop and write a grant for arsenic contamination in the drinking water of Bangladesh. Wells in Bangladesh which were dug in and around the 70's were called tube wells. However after the building of the tube wells they found that Arsenic was present in at least 68% in the water wells. the number of public wells built were around 10 million and private wells numbered around 1 million. Arsenic poisoning takes about 10 years to actually show itself in physical disabilities in humans and up to 20 years to actually have the possibility of killing someone. The tested wells contain at least 10 times the amount of Arsenic the WHO (World Health Organization)says is allowable with some wells having over 25 times the allowable amount. Chemists without borders volunteer to educate local communities and the young high school students, to first learn how to test the wells for Arsenic. What CWB is trying to do is start with high Schools and address the high levels of Arsenic by building new wells near the high schools. The reason being easy education for the youth, but also a place where the public can come and get their drinking and cooking water for their homes. This project is in its infancy and slowly being implemented in a small area of Bangladesh. Their are over 163 million people that need cleaner drinking water. CWB are looking to get this project off the ground and then get it to all of the people of Bangladesh. A formidable project but like our Polio project every project has to have a beginning. Having Clean drinking and cooking water is the goal of Chemists without borders. Initially Local Rotary clubs in Bangladesh are helping to support the testing and digging of new wells. Ankita is looking to garnish support for CWB from Rotary clubs around the area and the world. FYI Arsenic is naturally occurring in the ground especially present in and around Bangladesh. The you tube video will be up by the end of the week. if you missed this presentation and would like to see it.... an e-mail will be sent with he link to the you for the Emmaus Rotary You tube video site.
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Paul Harris recipients Bill Erdman and Jim Palmquist were very pleased to welcome 3 Paul Harris Award recipients this past Thursday. Gary Rohrbach, Jeff McIlhaney and Fred Herman all added an additional level to their Paul Harris Fellows. When you receive your first Paul Harris Award each Rotarian in our club receives a lapel pin and a medallion. When you add an additional Paul Harris Fellow a number is added to your Lapel pin. Paul Harris plus 1 plus 2 etc. Please remember any contribution to EREY is accumulated so anyone can become a Paul Harris fellow. To Gary, Jeff and Fred thank you for your support of the Rotary Foundation.
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President's Message - October 3, 2017.jpg) Over the last month, we have all seen news reports of the devastation suffered in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean (particularly Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) from hurricanes, as well as a major earthquake in Mexico. No doubt, many of you have friends and family who were affected by these tragic events. Receiving less news coverage, but equally horrific is the flooding in Bangladesh where one-third of the country was underwater in mid-September. Many of you have asked how our club can best help those affected by these natural disasters. At last week’s board of directors meeting, it was decided that Emmaus Rotary would focus its assistance efforts through support of ShelterBox. ShelterBox operates in partnership with Rotary International to assist people who have lost their homes due to conflict and natural disaster. They supply aid in the form of ShelterBoxes which are filled with practical tools and utensils that help to create the framework for everyday life. Each contains a family-sized tent that protects people from the elements and provides a safe space in which people can start to recover from physical and emotional trauma. The contents differ depending on the disaster and the climate, but items such as solar lights, water storage and purification equipment, thermal blankets and cooking utensils help start the process of creating a home. The cost of each ShelterBox is $1,000. At this week’s Club Assembly, I will ask each of you to consider how you can Make A Difference by contributing to ShelterBox. Each year, Emmaus Rotary budgets $1,000 to support ShelterBox. In years when revenue has exceeded expectations, we have doubled this amount. Rotary District 7430 recently announced that it will donate funds for one ShelterBox for every $5,000 contributed by individual Rotarians, Rotary Clubs, Interact Clubs, or Rotaract Clubs within the District between August 25, 2017 and December 1, 2017 (up to a maximum of five). I am hopeful we will be able to leverage our collective generosity to generate at least one District match. To learn more about ShelterBox, go to http://www.shelterboxusa.org/ Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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MAD and Emmaus Rotarians Embracing it What a week!!! Did we make a difference in our community? I believe all of us would agree we did, and in the course of a few days we accomplished a few things: We informed the community of what Rotary is, we prepared 5000 meals, planted a number of trees, fed some important individuals at the Allentown Rescue Mission and leveraged our abilities to make a difference for some special people at the Miracle League. A special thank you to some of the people that helped with this event. Gary Guthrie and his committee did a famous job of getting this together. From Tony Moyer and Karen Hobson on Thursday evening packaging 5000 meals for the Emmaus Food bank, to meal preparation Friday evening and serving the Allentown Rescue Mission. Valerie, Karen and Emmaus Rotarians thank you. John Chisca, Gary Guthrie and Emmaus Rotarians planted 11 trees at Camp Olympic. Gary Guthrie and team cleaned up at The Hillside School making the grounds look amazing. Last but certainly not least Bab Halsey put together a great team of Rotarians and Emmaus Interact students at The Miracle League to partner with a special group of individuals making their day a little more enjoyable. Thank you to a great team of dedicated individuals helping out the Emmaus Community and beyond.              |
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President's Message - September 26, 2017I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who took part in last week’s “Make A Difference Day” activities. From Thursday evening’s meal packing event through the five projects carried out on Saturday, my unofficial tally comes to over 210 hours of service delivered to our community! It was awesome to see so many of you demonstrating “Service Above Self” with a never-ending supply of smiles. I am so proud of everyone who took part: our members, their spouses, kids and friends, youth from the Emmaus High School Interact club, and many who provided financial support. I am particularly grateful to Gary Guthrie and all of the project captains for their hard work in planning and organizing each project. It was a terrific day to unite in serving the hungry, the disadvantaged, those with special needs and the environment and to “Make A Difference” in so many lives. Thank you all very, very much! Yours in Rotary, Burt
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Special Guest DG Rick Gromis Thursday morning we had our annual meeting with our District Governor Rick Gromis. Gary Rohrbach had the pleasure of introducing him and explaining that Rick is form the Reading area. Rick is a 1975 college graduate and he joined Rotary immediately after graduation. Rick's girlfriend's father at the time was a District Governor and Rick thought it would be a great idea to join Rotary. Rick has two children - both Rotarians - and his wife is a former President of her Rotary club. Rick began his presentation by fining Dale $5 because he could with the power of District Governor. Rick took the time to congratulate us on our Golf Tournament. Rotary is making a difference. The theme is exactly what we do as Rotarians. Membership is declining in the US. Rick wants all clubs to do their best to increase membership and membership retention in all clubs. We can do this by making all members connected. People join Rotary for three reasons: Networking, Service and Fellowship. Next he explained about the District conference "Take a Ride on the Reading" on April 27, 28 and 29. It is an a la carte Rotary weekend where you can attend as much or as little of the conference as you like. The cost for the entire day on Saturday will be just $99. The Saturday night entertainment is Bill Haley Jr and the Comets. Rick went over his thoughts for his Rotary year for Membership, Strategic Planning, and By Laws and they are current. All in all, it was a fine meeting. If you want to hear the whole meeting, it will be up on our You Tube page by early next week.  |
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President's Message - September 19, 2017Can you believe the first day of fall is just around the corner? The autumn equinox is Friday afternoon at 4:02PM… just in time for Emmaus Rotary Club’s “Make A Difference Day” on Saturday September 23. I hope each and every Emmaus Rotarian is planning to participate in at least one of the six service projects being undertaken as part of MAD Day. To recap, the six projects (and captains) are:
We’ll provide more detailed information about each project at this week’s breakfast meeting. If you haven’t signed up for a project yet, please reach out to the captain(s) directly. We will have sign up sheets available at Thursday’s meeting, too. I hope everyone will take advantage of this opportunity to serve our community! If you’re physically unable to participate, consider attending one of the Miracle League games to cheer on the kids (and/or heckle the announcer!). If you’re going to be out of town or have an unavoidable conflict, consider making a financial gift to help offset the costs of the projects. Any gift - large or small - will "Make A Difference.” I want to thank Gary Guthrie and all of the project captains for their hard work in organizing and planning what I hope will become an annual event in the life of our club. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - September 12, 2017What a great day we had at our 10th Annual Golf Tournament on Monday September 11! The weather was perfect and all participants enjoyed a wonderful day of fellowship and competition. Kudos to co-chairs Steve Gould and John Zayaitz for organizing and producing such an awesome event. Thanks as well to committee members Mario Cozzubbo, Don Blose, Eric Loch, Bryce Ruggeri, Bob Rust, Nelly Kabiru, Lisa Spradlin, Dave Roehrig, Joe Pugilese, Jeff McElhaney, and Rory King for all of your efforts. The funds raised through the golf tournament - including the silent auction, 50/50 and raffle for the trip to the 2018 Masters - provide nearly all of the support needed for our local and international projects. Congratulations to all for another successful event! Reminder: This Thursday’s breakfast meeting will be the “official visit” by District Governor Rick Gromis to our club. The Governor’s visit is a very special occasion and an opportunity for members of the family of Rotary and potential members to learn more about Rotary. You are encouraged to invite spouses, friends and potential members. Plan to arrive early for the meeting to greet DG Rick. He will meet with the Club Board and Committee Chairs immediately following the breakfast meeting. Interested members are also invited to attend. Yours in Rotary, Burt
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Emmaus Knauss HomesteadGene Clock Former Rotarian and present President of the Knauss Homestead Preservation Society took a few moments to talk about the Knauss Homestead and where it is today. Presently there is a board of like minded people trying to rehab the existing building and the barn. What Gene explained in his presentation was any updating to the building had to be accomplished in a certain way because the building is listed on the Historical Registry. Such as Painting the exterior has to be hand sanded and then can be hand painted. No mechanical means can be used to clean the outside of the building. Shutters need to be replaced which means wood shutters have to be manufactured to replicate the original shutters that were found on the building. Gene went on to recognize the formidable task the society has in front of itself to complete some of the renovations to the home and the barn. All in all the society needs about $150,000 to finalize the rehabilitation to the homestead. I have placed the original deed to the property below to see what the tract would have looked like in the 1700's. Today we get to enjoy the beautiful landscape which is dotted with the Emmaus Remembrance Garden which our club continues to enjoy taking care of once or twice a year. Below is a chronological historical perspective of how the property was first settled until the late 20th century. I do hope everyone enjoyed the presentation by Gene. If you have a chance please stop by the Homestead and or the Emmaus Remembrance garden and enjoy the beauty Emmaus has to offer its residents and its guests.
Heinrich Knauss built the log house behind the Superior Diner for his father, Sebastian Knauss in 1777. It remained in the Knauss family for 158 years, where seven generations of the family lived and worked. Sebastian was one of the two men—the other being Jacob Ehrenhardt—who had given the Moravians a large tract of land to create their "congregational village," which they named Emmaus. For nearly 100 years, in order to live in Emmaus, residents had to be Moravians. Today the homestead, which is open for tours by appointment only, is owned by the Borough of Emmaus, and operated by the Knauss Homestead Preservation Society. The Remembrance Garden at the Knauss Homestead is a beautiful parcel of land set aside to offer sanctuary and tranquility to those who visit. Individuals are able to purchase personalized commemorative bricks to permanently record the memories of special people, things, or events in their families’ lives within the community. |
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Doug Brinker Classification Talk Another amazing story from one of our own. Doug Brinker is a local born in Macungie and related to everyone (not really). He started his picture presentation describing his experience at Camp La Jeune. Doug graduated a year after his High School Class from Emmaus High School by taking a college English course and passing on another course. After graduation he was driving his Mustang down Hamilton Street when his tire actually fell off. He got out of his car saw the Marine recruiting station and asked the recruiter if he could get him out of town in ten days or less. The recruiter asked him if he was in trouble and of course he was not but needed to get away. Needless to say the Marines wanted to have him. This did not make his Mom very happy but Doug finally found his way. He wanted to be an MP and just like the service he ended up in the infantry. During boot camp Doug broke his leg and did not tell anyone for three weeks because he did not want to redo Boot Camp. He had his leg fixed and ended in a Recon Platoon. Spent some time in Somalia and other countries protecting out country and our interests. Doug eventually became an MP and did some interesting things. He and his buddy decided that the Queen of England(because of a Meteor shower he was watching) needed their help so he under the influence of some Alcohol decided to drive to England. However the Atlantic Ocean got in his way. He put the Jeep in the Ocean making his superiors "extremely happy". It sounded as if he really enjoyed the years he spent in the Marines. Doug loves to Hunt and he loves his Motorcycles. He lives a double life as a Financial planner by day for New Tripoli bank and Motorcycle enthusiast at night and on weekends. He has three daughters and was recently re-married. Doug's career had spanned 17 years in the Financial services industry. He started at Edward Jones, left and opened his own business....sold it (still in operation today) and approximately three years ago started his career with New Tripoli bank and his office will be located on Buckeye road when New Tripoli Bank opens their location probably in Spring. When you have a minute thank Doug for his service to our country and introduce your self. We are trying to attach videos of our speakers and it will be coming soon. Thank you for your patience. |
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President's Message - September 4, 2017Hello again from Sweden! The District 7430 Rotary Friendship Exchange Team is on the last full day of our trip in the town of Vetlanda. Since last week’s letter, we visited the Tibro-Karlsborg area and the town of Eskjö where our activities included visiting a fortress, several manufacturing facilities (for furniture, plastic mobile device mounts, and aluminum products), the birthplace of Astrid Lindgren (famous author the Pippi Longstocking children’s book series) and participating in traditional Swedish folk dancing. All of our Rotarian hosts have been very warm and welcoming. We continue to make new friends and learn more about Swedish culture every day. For those of you considering participation in future exchanges, I highly recommend it! After a few days in Stockholm following the RFE, Donna and I are heading home on Sunday September 10 - just in time for me to be back for the club’s Annual Golf Tournament at Brookside on Monday September 11. I know the Golf Committee has been working overtime selling sponsorships and Masters raffle tickets. But, it will require everyone’s best effort for the tournament to be a financial success. Please help the committee by recommending potential sponsors, donating or obtaining merchandise for the silent auction and purchasing Masters raffle tickets. See you on September 11! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Robert McClarin Five Star Heart TrainingBobby McClarin a young Engineer who is a native of Bethlehem, PA saw an opportunity to help kids gain confidence, respect and self esteem through his team building exercises. He grew up in the city's "West Side" neighborhood in a blue-collar family. Football was always his passion and playing at the Division I level was his dream. Having grown up watching the likes of Michael Stonebreaker and Ned Bolcar play for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, he always envisioned himself running out onto the hallowed grounds of South Bend. Admittedly, he was never the fastest athlete on the football field or the quickest on the basketball court but he possessed the intangibles, an unfathomable "will" and unmatched work ethic that would lead to his successes on and off the playing field. As a result of his academic and athletic success at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA, he was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to attend the United States Naval Academy, earn a degree in engineering, serve his country, and play football at the Division I level. Prior to attending the Naval Academy, he spent two years at the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) in Newport, RI where he was initiated to the "Brotherhood" which serves as the cornerstone of Navy Football. Following his stint at NAPS, he went on to earn a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a key contributor to Navy's football resurgence under Paul Johnson. While starting at middle linebacker for the Midshipmen, he was the recipient of many accolades to include the 2002 Admiral Mack Award, 2004 Roger Staubach Award, 2004 College Football News All-Bowl Team among others. However, the most rewarding accomplishment in his years while at Navy was making a decision with all his brothers to commit themselves to the "never outworked, 5-Star Heart" mentality as they took a football program from 0-11 in his freshman year to Emerald Bowl Champs in his senior year posting a 10-2 record. Upon graduation from the Academy in May of 2005, he married the love of his life Kate in June. After tying the knot with Kate, they headed to Newport, RI. Bobby was selected by Navy's coaching staff as one of four players from their graduating class to coach at NAPS for the first six months of his military obligation. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of his life, for he knew coaching, inspiring, and mentoring was his "True North." Following NAPS, Bobby held a wide array of leadership roles as an officer in the United States Navy and Civil Engineer Corps to include surface warfare officer, ordnance officer, visit, board, search, and seizure officer, and lead construction project manager. After serving his five year obligation, Bobby and Kate elected to move back to the Lehigh Valley and raise a family. Today, they are proud parents of three beautiful children, Lilah, Elizabeth ("Biddy"), and Tommy. Bobby continues to volunteer his time as a coach for Upwards Basketball, the Hurricane Club, and the Greater Bethlehem Soccer League. In 2014, Bobby earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration with a Concentration in Supply Chain Management from Moravian College. Bobby is currently employed by Air Product's spin off Versum Materials where he serves as an Operations Manager. Bobby's love for football and passion for physical fitness as a NASE Certified Speed and Explosion Specialist inspired him to form Five Star Heart Training, LLC in 2014. Establishing The Five Star Heart Project in October of 2015 is his latest endeavor, an endeavor in which he hopes to affect the lives of many in a positive way throughout the Lehigh Valley and beyond. His first summer project he had 15 football young men join him in learning how to be a Five Star Heart player and person. In three years Bobby has grown the program to 200 plus young men in the area to become the best they can be in whatever they pursue in life be it football, engineering or carpentry. Bobby donates his time and talents to help others become better young people creating better adults for our future. He is looking into including a project for female athletes later this year of next but always keeping his eye on the "ball" to help motivate, educate and inspire our youth in their lives.
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President's Message - August 29, 2017Greetings from Sweden! The District 7430 Rotary Friendship Exchange Team arrived Saturday in Mariestad - the first of four towns we will visit during this Exchange. In this area, we visited the oldest church in Sweden, lunched in the former residence of the governor of Götaland, cycled 12 miles alongside the Göta Canal and were treated to an authentic end-of-summer Swedish smorgasbord. All of that (and more) on just the first three days of the Exchange! Our hosts have been amazing and we have already made many new friends. It is a privilege to visit interesting sites and learn about the Swedish culture through the graciousness of like minded Rotarians. I look forward to returning the favor when the Swedish team visits our District next Spring. See you in a couple of weeks! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Rotary exchange student Maya KitaMaya spent one year in Besanton France. She attended L'Ecole National D'Horlogerie de Mercanique d'Electricite high school. She spent a lot of time in the town of Besanton. There were 19 other exchange students in her region but approximately 500 other exchange students in France at the same time. One of the most interesting things I took away from her talk was that each student always carried their national flag with them at all times. The students exchanged pins, and took the time to write on each one's flags before heading home. Maya found it interesting that when traveling from France to Switzerland there were not any customs, or borders patrols. Her French improved tremendously through out her year with her two host families. Maya brought both of her parents to Rotary breakfast to enjoy her presentation along with providing some interesting side bars. France has a college based school program which starts at 8:30 am with a 2 hour lunch and evening dinner usually starting at 8:30 pm. Every two months French h students have a two week break. Lunch as was stated could last two hours where a typical French dinner with guests could last up to 6 hours. Maya discussed Christmas and explained that each person put out their shoes Christmas eve and the presents were placed by their shoes waiting to be opened Christmas day. She learned to enjoy French cheese with every dinner. Maya explained that all Meals were very long. She showed a lot of pictures of her town but more descriptions of food, tables with food, and tables set ready for food. Her host family's father was a surgeon and her mother was a Psychiatrist. Her first two week vacation was spent in Paris. Her other vacation was with her other exchange students traveling to 7 other countries. She did spend some time skiing in the Alps. She enjoyed her time in France and thanked all off us for providing the opportunity to spend time in France. A follow up email with video will be sent of her presentation. |
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President's Message - August 22, 2017
I have mentioned the upcoming September 16 session of Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) at DeSales University for the last several weeks during the announcements portion of our breakfast meeting. Steve Gould has also featured RLI every week in the Trumpet. Many of you may be wondering what RLI is all about and how you could benefit by attending. RLI is a training program for members interested in:
That describes all of us, right?! Faculty are carefully selected from Rotarians with outstanding leadership abilities and prepared to conduct innovative course sessions which are typically limited to no more than 15 persons. Everyone is given an opportunity to participate during RLI sessions. RLI is divided into three parts. Part 1 includes modules on:
Parts 2 & 3 feature sessions on such topics as strategic planning, communications and international service. All course materials are outstanding and I guarantee you will make new friends at your session. RLI is designed for all Rotarians. Longstanding members can gain just as much from attending as the newest Rotarian. The club will pay the course fee for any member who wishes to attend. So, all that is required from you is an investment of your time. I’m sure all of the club members who have benefited from participating and serving as faculty for RLI join me in encouraging you to attend. I’ll be at the September 16 at DeSales along with PE Rick and VP Steve. I hope many of you will participate as well. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Making a difference day And FoundationThursday morning Burt announced September 23rd as our make a difference day. There will be plenty for all of us to chose from. Burt and Gary Guthrie are putting together at least four projects....one is serving a meal at the Allentown Rescue Mission (lunch), Sprucing up Hillside School, Miracle League (one game for certain possibly two games to help with Interact students for the second game), Meal packaging 5000 meals for the community. Gary is still looking for a painting project with Lower Macungie (not Bruce Fosselman's home). If for some reason you are not around this weekend in September please understand any financial contribution will be very helpful. Please help Make A Difference Day be a hugh success. Bill Erdman took a few minutes to talk about the Rotary Foundation. The Rotary foundation helps serve not so lucky families that do not have food on the weekend. We help support weekend backpacking where backpacks are filled with enough food to support that little person for the weekend because they do not have any food. We as Rotarians have been extremely blessed and believe that serving and helping humanity is something we love to do. Roger Whitcomb Quoted Winston Churchill " We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give". The most important part I took from this is that when you give to EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) that amount of money you give each week, each month and each year accumulates year after year accumulating for some enough to receive their Paul Harris Fellow. Please keep giving to EREY and the foundation. Watch your email for a video.
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President's Message - August 15, 2017It’s hard to believe we’re halfway through August already. I’m sure those of you with school-age children or grandchildren are beginning to think about the start of a new academic year - now only a couple of weeks away. As students prepare to return to classes, it’s a good time to reflect on Rotary International’s programs focused on students and our club’s efforts with these programs:
This week’s program will be a presentation by Maya Kita - ERC’s most recent outbound Rotary Youth Exchange student (to France). Maya will be accompanied by her mom, Tammy, who has also acted as a host for inbound students. I’m looking forward to hearing the Kita’s stories. You won’t want to miss it. See you on Thursday morning! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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David Dunn's Classification talkFor those of you who were on vacation last week or just could not make the meeting you missed a truly inspiring classification talk by David. David started out by talking about his parents and their upbringing in Eastern Europe. His mother is an Auschwitz survivor, his grandparents never made it to Auschwitz as they were killed by the Nazis in their home village. His mother Magda made it through the camps.  (Picture from the archives of Auchwitz) First Auschwitz and then near the end of the war she was released by the Russians and met another survivor from her home village where she had two sons. David's brothers. From there she met another man who took her to the movies one afternoon and was found by her Village "husband" at the movies with another gentleman where her village "husband" immediately left her. Madga started a relationship and moved her two sons and her husband to the US. David was born in 1954 and his parents both attended the University. His mother became a Physical therapist starting and owning 5 physical therapy centers in the new Jersey area. His father was also a very successful person. David was extremely successful in his own right. He was a vice president at a wall street firm well know for his execution of a margin algorithm that saved the company millions of dollars. He wearied of the wall street life and moved to Vermont where he had two separate businesses. Both successful but after some time sold the first business and had some partnership differences and they parted company with the second comapny. During his time in Vermont he was a member of the local Rotary organization. He started his next call which was as a trustee for a small university and found he loved working with 501 C3 organizations. He has been a treasurer, and Director in these organizations and he currently works with the Habitat for Humanity. Please ask David about his interesting life. He did comment that his mother spent a lot of time returning to Europe to testify and find concentration camp Nazi officers who were trying to hide from their hideous pasts. She felt it was her way of giving back to the people at the camps. David said his mother never talked about her life in the camps to her family but would talk to complete strangers. He wondered growing up why he always had to clean his plate and found out one day that the reason was his mother was taken by the Nazis from her home and if that ever happened again she wanted her boys to have a full stomach.  David thank you for sharing your fascinating life with us. |
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Emmaus Scholarship Winner Due to some confusion our second scholarship award winner from Emmaus High school will receive her award from Dr Moyer in the next few days. She will be attending Penn State's State College campus in the fall. She is majoring in ecological engineering.
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President's Message - August 8, 2017 This week’s breakfast meeting will be a dual feature.
First, Bill Erdman will share news and information about The Rotary Foundation and recognize one of our members as a Paul Harris Fellow. Be sure to wear your Paul Harris medallion to mark this occasion. Second, Gary Guthrie and I will talk about “Make A Difference Day” which is just around the corner on Saturday September 23. We had a terrific turnout for the Community Service meeting focused on MAD Day after last week’s meeting. While planning is ongoing, we want to update all members on what MAD Day is all about and how every member can be involved. See you on Thursday! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Message - August 1, 2017Happy August everyone! As we turn the page to a new month, I am reminded that our club’s annual golf tournament is now just six weeks away. The golf tournament is our primary fundraiser enabling us to “Make A Difference” in our local community and internationally. The golf committee is busy obtaining sponsors, recruiting golfers and working closely with Brookside Country Club to stage a premier event. We’re also raffling off an all-expenses paid trip for two to the weekend rounds of the Masters in Augusta GA in April 2018. We need the help of every member to ensure a successful event. If you play golf, please register to play in the tournament and recruit others to play with you. It’s easy to register at www.ercgolf.com. If you have connections to local businesses, ask them to be a sponsor. There are several levels of sponsorships available. Please pass along any leads you have to John Zayaitz or Mario Cozzubbo. If you can obtain items for the silent auction, please contact Don Blose. And, of course, please help with raffle ticket sales. The cost is $100 per ticket for a 1 in 300 chance to win a fabulous golf holiday. It would be a huge help if every member purchased at least one ticket and sold another to a friend or family member. With help from all members, I am confident this year’s event will be our best yet! Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Ron Nelson gives talk on Peace Corps Ron Grew up in Illinois and graduated from Augustana College in 1967. He knew he wanted to teach but he was not certain in which direction he wanted to go. In 1967 after leaving college he joined the peace corps, and served in the Philippine's for two years. He returned to the States and joined the Department of Defense School as an educator He again went abroad and taught in the Phillippine's, Taiwan and Japan for the next fifteen years. He again returned to the States and retired from teaching. Retirement was not enough for Ron, he then rejoined the Peace Corps Response and served in Africa in Malawi, Liberia and Namibia and Rwanda working in Education and Health. Both of Ron's parents were Rotarians. His mom and Dad were Paul Harris recipients and he believes that is where he learned to give back to humanity. Ron is again retired but looking forward to a time when he can return to Africa and do some more good for the community. Ron and his wife Glennis reside in Macungie. He brought some amazing items he purchased or received on his many trips to the African continent. We had the opportunity to see some of his adventures in Africa on the big Screen and most of us were awed by the beauty, and the life of someone who lives on that continent. I believe that the most interesting fact from my standpoint is that water is truly revered and in Africa he could take a shower with one cup of water and have enough left over to have a drink. |
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Amanda receives her scholarship Award Dr. Tony Moyer and President Burt Duren presented Amanda with her scholarship award from the Emmaus Rotary club last Thursday morning. Amanda was a student at LTCI(Lehigh Career and Technical Institute). Emmaus Rotary presents two scholarship awards each year to two students, one from Emmaus High School and one student from LCTI. Unfortunately the Emmaus High School recipient was unable to attend the ceremony last Thursday.
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Steve and Jane Auvil Steve and Jane Auvil are true community philanthropists. Scott Deidre pictured above with Jane and Steve presented a plaque for their generous donation to help construct an Observatory on the campus of Emmaus High School. Thank you Steve and Jane for being committed to the Emmaus community. |
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President's Message - July 24, 2017 Our breakfast meeting this Thursday will feature one of the most important activities of our club: The awarding of scholarships to deserving students. While the amounts are modest, each award recognizes the recipient’s accomplishments and allows all Emmaus Rotarians to play a part in their aspirations for the future. How cool is that?! The club’s scholarship endowment fund has steadily increased over the last few years. At the end of May, the fund balance was just short of $36,000. We are striving to grow the fund to $125,000 by the time the club celebrates its centennial in 2026. Achieving our goal will allow the club to award higher scholarship amounts to more recipients. As you consider your charitable giving options, I hope you will you consider a gift to the endowment. For more information, please contact Youth Committee chairman Tony Moyer or Larry Delhagen. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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Karen Hobson her life(Island of Malta where Karen was Born) This week we enjoyed a classification talk from Karen Hobson. Karen traveled the world and lived all over the world before finding her home in the Lehigh Valley with her husband Malcolm.
Karen’s father served in the British Army. She was born on the island of Malta and lived the army life in Singapore and Germany. She has been travelling and relocating internationally most of her life.
Karen’s Mom and Sister reside in the West Country, Somerset in England. Her younger sister is married with 2 children.
Karen came to the Lehigh Valley at the end of October 1994, with her husband Malcolm (also a Brit), heavily pregnant with her first child. Malcolm worked for Air Products for 27 years and now works for Olympus.
She has two sons, Finn and Rowan – both born in the Lehigh Valley, 19 months apart, both now at University.
Finn has just graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Chemical Engineering – like his father.
Rowan is in his senior year at University of Washington in Seattle studying Civil Engineering and is ROTC training with the Navy, and loving every minute of it.
Karen and her family spent 6 years in Singapore on two different Air Products assignments. (Singapore) They finally settled in Emmaus 2008 – both boys attending Emmaus High School.
Karen has enjoyed watching her boys playing Soccer or Tennis at the High School as she held positions in Booster clubs.
Karen has been dabbling with Silver Smithing for 18 years. She spends one morning every week at Penn State Lehigh Valley in their Advanced Jewelry Making Class, making a lot of pendants and rings, which she wears or gives as gifts.
Karen enjoys cooking and loves friends popping over at short notice and staying for dinner. Karen is creative and loves making many things.
She has been working for the past 3 years in Emmaus for Ai Orthodontics, a local small practice on Harrison Street, working with Dr. Aejaaz Issa and his dynamic, friendly team. Karen’s job focuses on Community Relations. She loves to get involved in community projects whenever she can. She now drives a bright Orange and Purple Ai Orthodontics Toyota Highlander around the Lehigh Valley – so give her a friendly wave!
Karen is a Soroptimist of Emmaus and has been active for 3 years. The Soroptimists, a group of 20 women friends and business associates, meet once every month. Through their 3 annual fundraisers and other funding activities they are able to provide ongoing support to local women and girls in Emmaus, offering direct financial support, scholarships and gifts, meeting their overall objective to empower women in our community throughout the year.
Karen is a 14 year Breast Cancer Survivor and enjoys taking part in the Women’s 5K Classic in the Lehigh Parkway. Karen loves it here in Lehigh Valley. |
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Alisa Bowman and her storyAlisa or Ali as she likes to be called is a local Mom, Writer and parent of a transgender child. What does that mean??? We found out in her brave representation of her story last Thursday morning. Imagine having a child born a girl but never played with "girly" things. As Ali said when she was born I had all these thoughts of what my child and I were going to do through out life, her first boyfriend, her first dance, the prom and getting married. Ali said she noticed subtle differences as her child was growing up, at 2 she only played and dressed in boy things. She only played with boys. But she only saw this after her experience brought her where she is today. Ali said she has had lots of fights along the way from haircuts to what her son wants to wear. Ali fought a few but in the end after therapy and many years of trying to wrap her mind around it did she finally get it. Her child is a boy or what we would call a transgender individual. He has female anatomy but in all other respects he is a boy. Ali explained that is took her three years to grasp an understanding and being truthful it took her husband even longer. From the bullying in the girls bathroom where her son had to hold himself all day till he got home to today where he is mostly accepted by his peers has been a journey. It took a lot for Ali to come and tell her the story and if you were not there I am trying to upload the video of her talk with Steve Gould's help look for it very soon. Dig deep and put yourself in her position and wonder how you would deal with this. Ali is also running for school board in our district because as she says a lot of people told her she was qualified to do good job because of her education and experiences. A little about Alisa Bowman: Alisa Bowman is a professional writer and editor who has co-written dozens of books, including Raising the Transgender Child, with Dr. Michele Angello. Before 2004, Bowman admits that she didn’t know much about what it meant to be transgender. Her knowledge started and stopped with news stories about Chaz Bono. But as her child grew older, it became increasingly clear that her child was living and presenting outside of society's gender norms. That sent the Bowman family on a journey that included consultations with many experts, along with much research and soul searching. In order to find the healthiest path for their child, they were forced to confront their own stereotypes and misperceptions about gender as well as grieve the daughter they’d never truly had. Bowman's transgender son is now an honor student at LMMS who is active in theatre, martial arts, and choir, among many other hobbies.  To watch this presentation on captured video, please click the link below: |
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President's Message - July 17, 2017
For those who may not have heard the news, I am sad to report that Rotary International President-Elect Sam Owori passed away on July 13 due to complications following a surgical procedure in Texas. Owori was a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala, Uganda for 38 years. His term as RI’s 108th President - and only the second from Africa - would have begun on July 1, 2018. In the announcement of Owori’s passing, current RI President Ian Riseley said: “Please remember Sam as the outstanding, hard-working Rotarian he was. In this difficult time, I ask you to keep his wife, Norah, the Owori family and Sam’s millions of friends around the world in your thoughts. Sam was a special person in so many ways, and his unexpected death is a huge loss to Rotary, his community and the world.” Owori was the chief executive officer of the Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda, whose mission is to promote excellence in corporate governance principles and practice in the region by 2020. Previously, he was executive director of the African Development Bank and managing director of Uganda Commercial Bank Ltd., and director of Uganda Development Bank. He has also served as corporation secretary of the Central Bank of Uganda and as a director on several other boards in Uganda. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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September 11, 2017 ERC Golf Tournament - Register Now!WWW.ERCGOLF.COM
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President's Message - July 10, 2017This year's Rotary International theme is "Rotary: Making a Difference." In announcing the theme, RI President Ian Riseley said: "In Rotary, we know that we can do more together than we could ever hope to do alone. It is the principle on which our service is based, and it is true at every level of Rotary." In that spirit, I look forward to our club accomplishing great things together this year. At last week's breakfast meeting, I shared a summary of the goals included in the recently completed Strategic Plan. As promised, here are the links to last week's presentation, the Strategic Plan for 2017-2018 and the Three-Year Strategic Plan for 2017-2020. Thanks to so many of you for the feedback and suggestions I received after the meeting. Most of all, I thank you for your expressions of support and willingness to MAKING A DIFFERENCE in our local community and around the globe. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's first official meeting Burt opened his first meeting of his one year presidency with a club assembly. He laid out his goals, expectations and strategies for the coming year. Burt beefed up committees with co-chairs, added his "making a difference day" which we will be hearing more about in the near future and he has made membership retention along with growing our membership a priority. Burt will be setting up a link so that every member will have access to see his presentation and ask questions. In his presentation Burt provided his e-mail address and phone number so please access the link if you have any questions for Burt. We look forward to an exciting Rotary year with Burt as our President.
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President's change over Breakfast If you have not been to a President's change over breakfast this is one you will not want to miss next June 28th. Rick Grommis the new Governor Elect had a few words to say and emphasized the MAD program for the 2017-2018 Rotary year. "Making a Difference". We had a past Emmaus Rotarian visiting from Florida, watching the passing of the gavel the ultimate story of why Rotary works.......every past President was personally invited and all that could make the meeting stood in front of the club with a sign indicating the year served as President. The gavel was then from the oldest Past President Wilmer Shultz, then to Carl Frantz, all the way to Jeff McElhaney and finally stopping at our current President Burt Duren. Burt received his incoming President's pin From District Governor Rick Grommis and had the pleasure of ringing the bell to signify the end of the end of the meeting and the new Presidential year. What a wonderful display of President's still attending and being involved in our club and activities. The pictures below tell the story all in and of it self. Please take a moment and look at all of the Past President's.   |
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President's Message - July 3, 2017Hello Emmaus Rotary!! I hope you and your families had a great holiday celebrating the founding of our great country. As we begin the new Rotary year, I am very honored to serve as President of Emmaus Rotary Club. Following those who have led our club’s efforts of service to others -- whether in our local or international community -- is an amazing privilege. As we reflect on this year’s theme: “Rotary – Making a Difference”, let us do just that as we continue to support the needs in our East Penn community and make the world a better place for our neighbors across the globe. We will hold a Club Assembly at this week’s breakfast meeting. I will be sharing this year’s goals and highlights from the newly updated strategic plan and introducing the committee chairs for this Rotary year. We are fortunate to have so many Rotarians in our club committed to “Service Above Self.” I look forward to serving with all of you in the coming year. Yours in Rotary, Burt |
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President's Dinner for Jeff Thursday evening's Hawaiian luau was a grand success. Nancy and Ceil out did themselves with The Hawaiian Theme. Everyone received a Lei upon being greeted by one of our new committee co chairs Valerie. Nancy and Ceil had Café 29 cooks cater the event with Coconut Shrimp and an assortment of Hawaiian Hors D'oeuvres. The Main meal was delicious and since it was a BYOB event everyone had their choice of beverage with mixers provided by the committee. Mark started out the evening with a traditional Hawaiian prayer asking for virility among the Rotarians present. Look for new faces from out Rotarian brothers in 9 months. Thank you Mark. Jeff continued the evening with a short recap of his year as President going over his ambitious goals and his successes. One of his goals was to have a Social committee to get Rotarians together at lest once a month which was not a Rotary meeting. With Ceil's and Nancy's tutelage his goal was achieved. His goal to feed 20,000 people was also achieved along with putting $10,000 extra dollars into the scholarship account for this year. Jeff has asked that we add $10,000 every year until we can make the scholarship fund self sustaining. Many Rotarians gave remarks about Jeff's year including our new President Burt Durin. Burt complimented Jeff for a fantastic year as he is looking forward to his year as President starting this Thursday with his induction. Of the 20 -25 Rotarians Plus spouses that were present past President Sue Straeter, First Vice President Steve Gould, Mrs Devine and several others echoed the sentiment that Jeff did a wonderful job as President for the 16-17 Rotary year. Jeff also received his President's Pin from Cindy, and his Paul Harris pin during the evening. Sue had some closing remarks and after 2 1/2 hours Rotarians had some time to talk and socialize informally bringing the evening to a close. Thank you to the committee for a wonderful event.        Looks like Nancy had a great time!!!!! Collecting everyone's empties!   |
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President's Final Message - June 27, 2017One call to action, to "serve humanity". A calling each of us have chosen to answer as Rotarians. Glancing back at the Emmaus Rotary Club's 90th year, I'm proud to say that together we served humanity well and had fun doing it! More than 2500 hours of service hours, 5000+ hours of collaboration, planning and execution, a record of nearly $50,000 donated to the Rotary Foundation, leveraging $60,000+ to international service, and $20,000 into our community, thank you all for your selfless service to people in need. These numbers are fantastic and could have only been accomplished through the efforts of each person. Thank you to our chairs for leading us, our board members for guiding us and thank you to each individual for your time, talent and treasure that sincerely makes a sustainable lasting difference. It's been a great honor to have served as your president this year Thank you for giving me that opportunity. Nothing above would have been possible without an incredible group of people. I look forward to continued service of humanity for many years to come with all of you. As we enter the next Rotary year, let's continue to challenge ourselves to get better, increase our capacity to help others, and build lasting friendships while we do it. Thank you & most sincerely, Jeffrey A. McElhaney Jr.
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President's Message - June 20, 2017REMINDER - In place of this Thursday's meeting, we have our annual Emmaus Rotary Recognition Dinner this Wednesday evening at the Lower Macungie Community Center. Hors d'oeuvres begin at 6 PM, Dinner at 7PM. The theme is Hawaiian Luau and theme dress is encouraged. The event is BYOB for alcoholic beverages and if you signed up and haven't paid, your $35 per person is due to Nancy Berlin. Today marks eleven days until the end of the 2016-2017 Rotary year, Serving Humanity and "having fun". We are with in $500 of making this the Emmaus Rotary Clubs best year ever in giving the Rotary Foundation! As this is the 100th year of the Foundation, it's certainly fitting. Let's finish strong and mark the centennial as our best by breaking $45,000! |
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Registration Open for 10th Annual Emmaus Rotary Golf TournamentThe Emmaus Rotary Golf Tournament Committee is pleased to announce details of the club's 10th annual golf tournament and open up registration. Click on the title of this article for more information and access to a downloadable and printable brochure. |
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Sal Verrastro Expert Witness Salvation Army building collapse 2013Picture of the three buildings in the collapse of the Hoagie city building in June of 2013. Sal brought a new perspective to the events of the trial where he was the expert witness helping to defend the Architect the Salvation Army hired to inspect the building on the corner. Sal helped the Architect for the Salvation Army Building by explaining his comments and his notes about what may have to be accomplished to the building after demolition. The events started in March of 2013 when the developer from NY decided to tear down the three buildings to the left of the Salvation Army location on the corner. The developer wanted to purchase the Salvation Army store but it was not for sale. Jack the Architect for the Salvation Army building was asked to come in and tell Mr Fraser (who was never present at the building...FACILITIES REPRESENTATIVE) what he (Jack) thought they may need to do the building after the demolition was completed next door. One of the things was to take care of the what would now be an interior wall and make any necessary repairs. Jack made comments in his notes and his e-mail to Mr. Fraser about the chimney that was attached to the Hoagie City building. The Chimney would have to come down and the developer would have the responsibility of replacing he chimney. There were some cosmetic changes that would need to be completed on the interior but nothing that would affect the integrity of the building. Jack took his notes after he heard of the building collapse and rewrote them so anyone else reading them would understand them and then destroyed the originals. A mistake Jack later realized because the attorney's thought he was hiding something. Sal as a witness reported that most if not all Architects have their own way of taking notes and the average person would not be able to read them. Jack was excluded from the award because of Sal's testimony but in the end there was an award of over $200 million dollars of which the Salvation Army was responsible for 75% of that award. This trial decided who was responsible for the Salvation Army employees and any other persons that were hurt or killed as a result. The Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspection person that was on the site at all times took his life approx. 8 days after the collapse bringing the total loss of life to 8 people. The developer was asked to pay 5% of the award and others involved in the demolition of the building were asked to pay the rest of the 20%. This was a tragedy that may have been avoided if the developer and the demolition contractor would have taken the necessary precautions to protect the people inside the building and the pedestrians on the sidewalk walking by the site. This was an amazing story and we all thank Sal for giving this update to what happened those days in 2013. |
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President's Message - June 13, 2017As as the Rotary year 16'/'17 is coming to an end, let us reflect on the what we've been able to accomplish. Moving forward let's continue to take action in our community and around the world! This week a handful of Emmaus Rotarians are attending the Rotary International Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. They're building relationships, networking and exploring new ways to serve humanity and make a difference. Bill Gates was even one of the keynote speakers! It will be interesting to hear about their trip once they're back along with some fresh ideas to serve. At Thursday's meeting we will hear from our French exchange student as she will review her year in Emmaus! I look forward to seeing you at the meeting!
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NEEDED: CHILDREN'S SUMMER CLOTHES K-12NEW PROJECT: NEEDED: CHILDREN’S SUMMER CLOTHES( K-12) We are collecting slightly used Children’s Summer Clothes along with the students at Emmaus High school and teachers in a joint project. The Clothes will be taken to Mfuwe, Zambia for the children at the local village school who are in need of clothing. Please bring clothing to the Rotary Meetings each week between now and mid-July. ANN PEASLEY WILL BE COLLECTING Any questions, please contact Cindy Hornaman: hornamca@ptd.net, (610) 360-4875 |
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The Caregiver acct of 2016 Jim Pamlquist discussed the recently enacted "The Caregiver Advise, Record & Enable Act". By 2060 the population of 85 and older Pennsylvanians is expected more than double from what it is now. What does that mean? That means older Pennsylvanians will be counting more on family members for care than ever before. Presently there are approximately 1.5 million caregivers in Pa, and these caregivers are taking over 1.5 billion hours of unpaid leave to help their family members at the expense of their lives. What does a caregiver do besides provide support both emotionally and physically? They manage medications (this can include injections and IV solutions), they help with mobility, prepare meals, do wound care, and provide physicians with daily and sometimes hourly results from using monitors or meters(stethoscopes, blood pressure results, oxygen saturation, and Glucometer monitoring to name just a few). So why is the care act so important? It provides your loved one the opportunity to designate a caregiver, it ensures that the hospitals (medical facilities)include the caregiver in the discharge planning and provide necessary training for your loved one's care once they go home. This act also allows the hospital to consult with the caregiver, and let the caregiver ask questions about the care needed for their loved one. The hospital stay is the first in a many stepped procedure to get your loved one healthy again. The Care Act only helps a patient designate a caregiver, and have that caregiver trained to take care of them after discharge from a medical facility. If you have any questions about the Care Act please act Jim or reach out to AARP.ORG/PA they have a tremendous amount of resources for you to utilize to find answers to many questions you may have. |
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President's Message - May 30 , 2017As we celebrated Memorial Day, let us not forget those who gave the greatest sacrifice to protect our freedom. A poem from Laurence Binyon, "For the Fallen": They went with songs to the battle, they were young. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Thank you also to those who have served.
On a Rotary note, this week is the first of the month and we will be collecting food for the needy. This all goes to local families in need. Also, this weekend we will be mulching and cleaning the exterior of the Hillside School. If you haven't RSVP'd and would like to help, please let Gary Guthrie know. I look forward to seeing you this Thursday morning at our regularly stated breakfast meeting! - Jeff McElhaney Jr.
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Club membership InductionThursday morning we had the pleasure of inducting 5 new members into the Emmaus Rotary Club. JP Raynock the membership chair lead off the meeting introducing the sponsors and the sponsors introduced their member. Bob Goehler introduced his friend and new member Doug Reichley, John Zayaitz introduced his member Doug Brinker Bruce Fosselman introduced Sal Verrastro, Alicia Ruiz Orbin introduced Rose Galleano Phillips and last but not least was JP Raynock introducing John Kunes(John had a previous engagement and was unable to attend). Bryce Was asked to speak by Bruce Fosselman and bryce invited all of the new members to Rotary International and a service organization with its motto service above self. He also gave each new member a membership packet. Don Blose another committee member gave each new member a Rotary tee shirt to be worn at any and all Rotary events where we work as a team. He also presented each member with their framed certificate of membership. Don introduced Valerie who described the Rotary wheel which is a 24 cog 6 spoke gear known the world over as the Rotary symbol. Valerie also handed out a new Rotary Pin a symbol she described through the words of Rotary International President Bob Barth which says this about the wearer "You Can rely on me, I am dependable, I am reliable. I give more than I take, and I am available." JP Introduced Steve LaPierre another membership committee member, who spoke about the 4 way test. Below is a picture of the sponsors and our newest members.      |
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Rotary Leadership Meeting Sat May 20thWhat an interesting day. First a meeting with our District Governor Rick Gromis who explained that during his year as president we will all be M.A.D. (Making a Difference). Members from our club that attended the meeting were Cindy Hornaman, Burt Durin, Tony Moyer, Alicia Ruiz Orbin. We learned about strategic planning from Cindy and what we need to do as a club to move forward with our long term planning (three years out). I also attended Foundation training with Tony Jannetta. President Elects spent their breakfast meeting going over their needs for their Presidential year beginning July 1 2017. I know I DID NOT DO THIS WONDERFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE JUSTICE, but rest assured this is an enlightening for all that attended. You will also get to meet other Rotary clubs, their Presidents and members. Make yourself available for the next meeting coming up in the fall.   District Governor Elect below  Don't miss the next Rotary leadership meeting November 4th 2017. You will learn a lot about Your Rotary.
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Cruise to Cuba and the Dominican RepublicAlicia, Valerie and Don had the opportunity of a lifetime to visit Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Valerie and Alicia helped students learn English as a second language. Since the Dominican is heavily invested in tourism it is important for anyone that wants a better job to learn English. Spending time and energy is what Valerie and Alicia helping to accomplish the goal of having a workforce versed in a second language. Don explored making paper helping increase productivity by over 500% Everyone learned that teamwork especially when making paper by hand helps produce more paper thereby helping their friends have more paper to sell making more money for their families. Everyone then contributed in building an addition to another persons home with concrete block, and concrete. Hard work but after 15 years of getting block and putting his home together they helped another person realize his dreams. Everyone on the trip realized how blessed they are to have what they have and the ability to give back. Please see the pictures of their trip:      |
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President's Message - May 23, 2017Many of us certainly appreciate the work that we are able to accomplish locally to help people. Our East Penn community has a strong place in our hearts. However, over past month we have seen the power of Rotary Internationally and the great need of humanity in all parts of the world. Between our friends for Romania, Zambia, and the service cruise to the Dominican Republic and Cuba, humanities needs were on display. Our Zambian Rotarians came to the United States with nothing in their pockets and simply the clothes on their backs. Yet, you would never know that with their glowing attitudes and eagerness to learn. As Cindy mentioned, clothing is a basic need that is limited in their village. Given our relationship, we are going to seek a way to assist them with at least this one basic need in a small way. During Don, Alicia and Valerie's presentation, the need in the D.R. was clear. Between teaching English, making paper and pouring a cement pad, they demonstrated selfish service of humanity and made a dent in the needs that exist. The idea of packaging a vacation with a service activity is growing in our Rotary district. If you have ideas on this or you are interested, please let us know. This week we officially induct four new Rotarians into our club. Join us and let's give them a warm official welcome! |
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The Romanians Were Here The Romanian Connection visited our club last week. Alexander was the leader of the Rotary Exchange with Romania. What a fantastic group of people. They had a really good time at our meeting where we were introduced to Romania through the eyes of Alexander. Unfortunately the sound system at Brookside kept cutting out and we could not hear him speak but the pictures were worth a thousand words. From the Carpathian Gardens to learning that Romania has the largest concentration of Brown Bears in Europe everyone was educated on the Republic of Moldavia and Romania. Their Rotary club is only about 17 years old because the former Government did not allow clubs such as Rotary to exist. The Romanians gained their independence in 1990 and have been moving forward ever since. We enjoyed pictures of the Danube Delta, the Bears Cave, and the salt mine health and wellness center located in an old salt mine. Bucharest and the Palace of Parliament were some of the high-lites we were educated on as well as the promotion of Prince Charles(Charles Ottley). In 2000 Rotary International requested that Romania have its own district because up until then they were part of the French district in Paris. Romanians enjoy watching European Football, and baking using Bulg(corn), and raising sheep. They are know for their pottery, art and tourism. If you ever have the chance take part in a Rotary exchange or if you cannot travel take some of our exchange guests in and learn about a new culture. Our next Rotary exchange is to Sweden coming up this August.
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President's Message - May 16, 2017
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Cool Story & Short Video Sent in From Uncle Bob HalseyThis is very interesting. About 25-Years ago, while I was Manager for True Value, I went to a unique Symposium at the former Bethlehem Steel Offices on top of South Mountain. It was a Luncheon being held to explain the importance of providing Clean Water For The World. I don’t remember the name of the Leader, who was the Main Speaker, followed by several young College Students that had just come back from Africa where they were working on a Water Project. This was before Solar Electric Power was really in vogue. One thing that “Stuck With Me All These Years Was The Closing Comment Made By The Main Speaker”. IN THE FUTURE WARS WILL NOT BE FOUGHT OVER LAND, OIL OR MONEY, THEY WILL BE FOUGHT OVER GETTING CLEAN WATER! This short Video, sent to me by a Jewish Friend, now living in Arizona, shows what some of the Israel Nation is doing to help Africa get Clean Water to some Villages in Africa! This Video shows what can be done when People Work Together To Help Other Areas Of The World! I know that Rotary International & Engineers Without Borders also are doing this work as well. Solar Power is driving a lot of Projects in areas of the World where Electricity just isn’t available like everyone in the US has.
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Speaker John WashingtonJohn Washington a Rotarian from the Conshocken Club stopped by with an important message. A little about John: He was in law enforcement for 21 years as a Lt. supervising 20 other Bicycle police officers on the University of Penn campus. Their police force was 125 strong for a campus in Philadelphia and it also as its own SWAT team. John was shot twice in the line of duty both time he had his vest on. He lives with a back that has been broken three times and he has three rods keeping him upright. I am going to try an paint a picture of John as I met him on Thursday morning. A gentleman is putting his presentation together but he has on Plaid Bermuda shorts, an orange shirt with a United States Customs Fire Arms specialist shirt. He is balding about 5'10" tall with a pair of sun glasses hanging on the back of his head. (Dale took advantage of his looking out of the back of his head) John is a very interesting guest. He first found out about Rotary through a program we had called GSA and he traveled to a third world country for a 6-8 weeks experience that was cut short because of the economy in the country and the fact that every Rotary club had disbanded and they had no where to live. But John being an avid firefighter for over 40 years promised to come back and donate necessary items to the fire department in the town he was visiting. To make a really long story short John went back 5 years later and donated $2500 worth of fire equipment to the town. Coming back to the states after his first return trip, he met up with a Rotary member and the member asked why he did not ask Rotary for a matching grant to make his monies go farther. John said because even though he was a GSA member he never was asked to become a Rotarian. He was then asked and now has been a Rotarian for over 13 years and has made the town he visits every few years very happy going back three times to give them the much needed fire equipment they desperately needed. He has helped one fine young women become the only Female Paul Harris recipient in this country by negotiating the fire equipment (holding it hostage until they made her a Paul Harris). John's story is called P.R.I.D.E. and is an acronym to help other Rotarians remember that no one is going to toot our horn better the we will. Ask other like minded people if they would like to join Rotary. Make sure when you have a project everyone knows about it and we invite the media and utilize Social Media. Know when other clubs meet so if you meet someone and they cannot make an Emmaus Rotary meeting but are more comfortable with Allentown West tell them the time and place where they meet so we can build Rotary everywhere not only in our club. He asked JP a question about membership and how we guide new members through the process. JP handled it extremely well. To sum it up John had presentation that was right on target for all Rotarians. He did think we had some work to do in the area of diversity, we have gender diversity but we lack in color and culture diversity. Keep Rotary in the fore front of all you do, toot or own horn and keep the humanitarian projects going. Below is a picture of John's club receiving the Community service of the year award for Plymouth Whitemarsh/Conschocken Rotary Club  |
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President's Message - May 9, 2017This past weekend was our district conference for Rotary District 7430's and it was quite a weekend! The agenda was jam packed highlighting projects through out the year, mingling with the Zambian's, Romanian's and our youth exchange students. Razia Jan, an Afghan Rotarian who built and supports schools for Afghanistan's girls, spoke to the group and left a lasting impact. Student's squared off in the Four Way Speech Contest finals. An Allentown Rotarian highlighted the impact of PTSD and how he believes we can bring veterans groups together and help them cope with the weighing concern. There were many impactful projects, ideas shared, and there was much fun had by all. Emmaus Rotarians Roger Whitcomb and his wife Roberta, Gary Rohrbach and his wife Dee, Burt Duren and his wife Donna, Cindy Hornaman and her husband Chris, Sue Straeter, Alicia Ruiz-Orbin, and I all attended the conference. It was quite enlightening to me at the evening hospitality suites. Rotarians serve first, but clearly like to have fun! Cindy and Gary were tearing up the dance floor! They better have a few happy dollars. This Thursday is an exciting and busy day for Emmaus Rotary. We have our Romanian Friendship Exchange team visiting and speaking at our morning session. I had the chance to meet and talk with many of them and they're a lot of fun. In addition to our regular morning meeting, we have our Scholarship Social Fundraiser Thursday night at Yergey Brewing and Triple Sun Distillery from 6 PM - 8 PM with the band Sunshine Symphony. There is no cover charge. Beverages will be on you, but 10% of the proceeds from the entire evenings business (open to public) will go to the Emmaus Rotary Scholarship fund. We will also be having a 50/50 as well as some very nice raffle baskets. Switchback Pizza will be set up in the lobby offering food for purchase as well. I hope to see you Thursday for a fun filled day of building goodwill and better friendships!
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Rotary Garden Spring PlantingRotarians took to their rakes and shovels this past Saturday morning to spruce up the Rotary Garden & Planter located at the Weiss Food Market on the corner of Chestnut Street and Cedar Crest Blvd in Emmaus. The planter was weeded and a new design of fresh plants and flowers was installed under the expert direction of Master Gardener Geoff Boyer. Be sure to check it out as you drive by. Pictured left to right: Gary Guthrie, Jim Ritter, Doug Brinker, Geoff Boyer, Rory King, Steve La Pierre and Bob Rust.
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President's Message - May 2, 2017What a fantastic meeting with our Zambian Teacher Exchange team last week. Excellent job Cindy Hornaman for your relentless pursuit to make this project become a reality! The ability through the Rotary network to bring people from around the world together in an effort to grow, become better people and serve those in need never ceases to amaze me. It will be great to see the full fruition of the project and the potential impact we can have on their village in Africa. There's just over one week away until our Scholarship Social Fundraiser! Please mark your calendars for Thursday evening May 11th from 6 - 8 PM + at Yergey Brewing and Triple Sun Distillery at 518 Bank St., Emmaus, PA 18049. There will be raffles along with a 50/50. Triple Sun and Yergey Brewery has also offered to donate 10% of their entire evenings sales to the Emmaus Rotary Scholarship Fund. For entertainment we have the Lehigh Valley's and Philadelphia's best cover band, Sunshine Symphony. They play hits from the 60's, 70's, 80's through today. Check out their link, https://sunshinesymphony.com/videos.
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Zambian Guests this weekIf you were not there Thursday morning you missed an incredible journey three people took from the village of Mfuwe Zambia to Emmaus Pa. Cindy and Chris Hornaman met Charles while on a trip several years ago. Put the bug in his ear for Charles to consider starting a Rotary club. Charles started the first club in Mfuwe in October 2012. From there history has been made. Between Cindy, the East Penn School district, and the Rotary foundation they came together for this international project bringing two teachers from Zambia to the US to share ideas and curriculum and then East Penn is sending two teachers to Zambia this summer for a trip of a lifetime to share and learn about their school, their needs, and to help in any way they can. Charles is the former Principle of the secondary school. He now is an entrepreneur with several businesses he runs out of his home. .png) Charles brought two incredible people with him we were first introduced to Judy Chinyemba (pic at the end of this story) who is a teacher at the school. Judy has a BA in Education, with a major in Geography, and a minor in history. She speaks 4 different languages and she enjoys swimming, net ball and traveling. She is part of a large family and she is still single. .png) Picture of their school .png) Picture of their village Next we were introduced to Tim Tembo. Tim is married a BS in education with a major in science. He teaches Physics along with other science courses. Tim loves football (soccer), badminton and anything athletic. (pic below) Following are some pictures of the wildlife that you can see in this truly wonderful country. .png) .png) .png) Judy Charles and Tim Of course without the help of a very special person at East Penn Cindy could not have accomplished all she has since she started this project. Below is a picture with Laura Groh (Community At large representative) and Cindy along with our guests, Judy, Charles and Tim. .png) In attendance we had our current DISTRICT GOVERNOR LINDA YOUNG, along with 4 past district governors,our superintendent for East Penn and 75 Rotarians and some family members.
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4 way speech contestThursday morning we had the pleasure of meeting Benjamin Brown and Max Hafner our two Interact club members that chose to present their take on the 4 way test in a speech format. Each of these young men were winners with respect to the way they presented themselves and their take on how the 4 way test and how it can interact with their lives and the lives of others. Max was first with his take on the new racism in our country. The school districts are dealing with a new hate, Emmaus found swastikas in the school, Southern Lehigh Heil Hilter salutes, but this does not stop at our schools it affects our whole country on the county, State and Federal level. Over 100 Jewish schools were defiled with anti-semantic hate remarks, within the past several months. Max has a solution and it begins with third graders and ends with seventh graders. Start educating our children that hate, racism, anti-semanticism are not acceptable and start with small programs in the third grade, finishing with seventh grade teaching and showing what happened during WWII, the holocaust. He believes if people see and understand what took place they will learn that acceptance is better for humanity than building hate and a racist society. Is it fair to all concerned yes because it builds good will for everyone, is it the truth, yes it is, is it beneficial to all concerned since it builds a society that will be more understanding. Will it build better friendships.... yes it will. Ben took another direction and asked the question why does cash exist? His proposition is to eliminate cash. Transfer everything to a cashless society and use bitcoins instead. An online currency that is almost completely anonymous. Why do you ask.....it makes it a lot harder for criminals to laundry bitcoins than it is for them to laundry money. Is cash the truth Ben believes it is not since originally cash was an IOU something you traded for something else. It is fair to all concerned it depends on where you are in life and basically Ben believes it is not fair to all concerned. It gives criminals the ability to transfer cash everywhere. It is not fair to all concerned. Thirdly will it bring goodwill and better friendships. It may stop crime on most levels. Since no one would be carrying cash there would be nothing to steal from anyone. Is it beneficial to all concerned, in a Swedish study where cash has been almost totally extinct the number of bank robberies from one period of study to the next decreased over 900%. When cash was available in the banks there were 110 robberies. When cash was eliminated the robberies went down to 11 because there was nothing of importance to take from the banks. Ben and Max did an excellent job of positioning themselves and their ideas to coincide with the 4 way test. It may not be anything we have thought about but it certainly will make us think a little different about hate, racism and our cash. We are building character into our youth through the 4-way test and our Interact club at Emmaus High School. |
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President's Message - April 25, 2017This week we have another special meeting in store. After a significant amount of hard work and collaboration the Zambian Rotary Exchange teachers are here! Come out to meet the team, hear about the project and the impact we are making to serve humanity. If you haven't signed up for the district training assembly, please read the article below for more information. Consider signing up to learn more about Rotary in general and how you can utilize the network better to serve more people. Another reminder for the May 11th scholarship fundraising social at Triple Sun and Yergey Brewing, with cover band Sumshine Symphony from 6-8PM. Come out, enjoy a beverage, grab a bite to eat from Switchback Pizza and socialize while raising a few bucks for future leaders of Rotary. There is no cover charge. Food and beverages are a la cart and some of those proceeds will go towards the scholarship fund.
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President's Quarterly AssemblyJeff's presentation was a compilation of where we were and where we are headed. He described the community projects from boxing and delivering 20,000 meals to the wonderful mixers Ceil and Nancy have been sponsoring for our club. -House Barn, Alburtis Tavern, Phantoms, LCTI, Interact Meeting, Superior… Triple Sun & Yergey’s, Recognition Dinner His next challenge was to revamp the membership process and with the help of JP and his committee the task was completed with JP and his team coming up with an incentive plan to gain new members. Jeff's next challenge was to create a fund raiser to help sustain the scholarship fund which will start with a mixer at Yergey's next month. He surprised us all with the annual donation to the foundation which this year we exceeded our goals by more than 100% with the help of some of our club members and grants from the Rotary foundation. All in all Jeff has met most of his lofty goals he set out to meet at the beginning of his Presidency. He still would like to see everyone give to EREY and make that magic number of $126.50 for every member. .png) Please take a moment and thank Jeff for a great year as President! |
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President's Message - April 18,2017Each year we celebrate the success of at least two high school students in our community who exemplify the Rotary characteristics of service above self with a scholarship. We encourage them to continue their lives of service throughout their lives and careers. In order for us to sustainably provide a meaningful difference for these young adults, we are focusing on building up our scholarship fund by our centennial in 2026. To hit the $200,000 to $250,000 mark, we need to add about $10,000 per year. So far we've added about $5000 during this Rotary year. Our balance has gone from $10,000 just a couple years ago to $36,000 today, but we have significant work to do. To bring this effort to focus, we will be having our first scholarship focused "social" fundraiser on May 11th! Join us from 6 PM to 8 PM at Triple Sun Distillery and Yergey Brewery in Emmaus for music, fun, food and spirits. The Sunshine Symphony cover band will be playing from 6:15 PM - 8PM. There will not be a cover charge. Bring your spouse and friends. Between a few special beverages, a 50/50 and a few raffles, let's aim to have fun and raise a few bucks for future Rotarians!
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President's Message - April 11, 2017"Long-range planning does not deal with the future decisions, but with the future of present decisions.” Peter Drucker We set out to accomplish five main challenges this Rotary year and we've almost acheived all of them, along with so much more. This Thursday we will measure how we are doing and set a course to finish the 2016-2017 year strong. With three months to go, we have much more we can do to serve humanity. However, more importantly continuous evaluation, planning, execution and measurement, the point of a club assembly in my view, will ensure that our club grows even stronger into the future. As we had done at our last club assembly I'd ask for candid feedback for areas of improvement and new ideas. In fact, if you'd prefer to email in a question or concern in advance, please send your comments to my personal email (jeffmcelhaneyjr@gmail.com). I'll also provide the suggestion box sheets during Thursday's meeting. The leadership team will review these suggestions and seek to make appropriate changes to enhance the club. Thank you, Jeff McElhaney Jr. |
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Pasta Collection a True Success!!!!
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Good Shepard Neuro RehabilitationThursday we had the pleasure of hosting several people from Good Shepard Neuro Rehabilitation Center. Sue Golden the Administrative Director a Physical Therapist, Jenna Sopp Occupational Therapist with her specialty being vision, and Kelly Raub a speech therapist with a specialty in treating the cancer patient. Sue started by telling her story about being a Migraine sufferer for over 20 years. With a mix of muscle therapy and corrective actions on her part such as sitting correctly she has diminished her usage of pain medication to less than 5 times the past 4 years. This is considerable since prior to her therapy she was taking mediation every week.
The basis of what we learned is that Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy have come a long way on helping people have a renewed sense of living. Not all therapy works but when it does it changes people’s lives. Good Shepard utilizes the newest equipment in helping people do things that they could not do after a life changing event (accident, Illness). They use robotics to help people walk that have not walked in some time. They spend time learning and developing new processes that helps everyone that walks in their door. They teach patients how to cope with Macular Degeneration, or how to talk correctly after Chemo-therapy. Sue, Jenna and Kelly did an excellent job helping Rotarians understand that there are options after an accident or illness to help someone get better or just maintain their current quality of life. So please take the time to share what we were told, look up the Neuro Therapy options at Good Shepard and live a happier and better life. |
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President's Message - March 28, 2017As our Foundation Chair Bill Erdman has highlighted, this Thursday is a historic day or our club. The Paul Harris Fellow program recognizes individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The honor was established in 1957 to show appreciation for contributions that support the Rotary Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant. To gain some perspective on why the "Paul Harris Award" is named as such, here is a short history on the man himself. After setting up his law practice in Chicago, Paul Harris gathered several business associates to discuss the idea of forming an organization for local professionals. On 23 February 1905, Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey gathered at Loehr’s office in Room 711 of the Unity Building in downtown Chicago. This was the first Rotary club meeting. “I was sure that there must be many other young men who had come from farms and small villages to establish themselves in Chicago ... Why not bring them together? If others were longing for fellowship as I was, something would come of it.” In February 1907, Harris was elected the third president of the Rotary Club of Chicago, a position he held until the fall of 1908. Toward the end of his club presidency, Harris worked to expand Rotary beyond Chicago. Some club members resisted, not wanting to take on the additional financial burden. But Harris persisted and by 1910 Rotary had expanded to several other major U.S. cities. Harris died on 27 January 1947 in Chicago at age 78 after a prolonged illness. His death prompted an outpouring of contributions from around the world and his name continues to evoke the passion and support of Rotarians and friends of Rotary. (Rotary.org) I look forward to seeing you this Thursday! - Jeff A. McElhaney Jr. |
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President's Message - March 21, 2017The groundhog may have been right this year, but it's nice to finally say "Happy Spring"!  If you have an opportunity to help people in need, or have a great project idea, let us know. There are a number of opportunities coming up, but we can certainly accomplish more! Just a few reminders this week. One, please again consider making your donation to the Rotary Foundation of $126.50. Two, share Rotary. Three, please remember to bring pasta this week to donate to the Angel Network. President Elect Burt Duren will be leading our meeting this week. Thank you Burt! I will see you on 3/30. - Jeff McElhaney Jr.
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Jerry Waxler Memoir WriterJerry Waxler a writer of four books, self proclaimed hippy from the sixties looking for a way to understand his life turned to introspection which helped him shift his life's direction. He detailed how writing his own memoir brought him from a discouraging perspective to a more hopeful perspective in his life. From a man who studied Math and Physics using those skills to become a computer programmer, and technical writer.....at 50.....it left his life with some "holes" He wanted to better understand himself and other people. He went back to school and now has a Master's degree in counseling psychology learning more about the human mind and how to connect with other people. He simply learned to understand people you need to listen and care and people will open up to you. How you increase your power of mutual understanding you can learn through the art of storytelling. He has used his skills to teach the art of memoir writing his own books, Memoir revolution, How to become a Heroic writer, Learn to write your memoir, and Thinking my way to the end of the world.
He took the time to teach us how to transform memories into stories. First of all overcome your fears, your reluctance and your self-doubts. Then take that and then turn your memories into a written story. Remember to write everything down and after you have this accomplished organize your memories into a story and you can do this basing your story on your life's timeline. You will need to transform your story with some dramatic tension the reason to have the reader want to read your memoir, add a theme to help convert your life's incidents into a story. Add all of your life's stories mix in some tea leaves, sprinkle it with magic dust and get to work. IF NOTHING ELSE YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER PERSPECTIVE ON YOUR LIFE AND LEAVE A MEMORY FOR YOUR PRESENT FAMILY AND THE GENERATIONS THAT ARE YET TO COME.
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President's Message - March, 14, 2017Saturday night was District 7430's 100th Anniversary of the Rotary Foundation Gala! Emmaus Rotary had great representation and a wonderful time while helping to raise more funds. It's great to know that the funds are sustainably leveraged to impact humanity and will continue to do so forever. The Foundation is rated a 4 Star Charity, the highest rating by Charity Navigator. Let's make a final push this year and celebrate the 100th year as one of Emmaus Rotary's best foundation years!
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Rotary Leader Ship Institute This Past Weekend!! Join Leaders, Exchange Ideas, (Learn to) Take Action Fellow Rotarians – Rotary offers an opportunity for all of us to provide service to our community and throughout the world. RLI provides a learning experience that enhances Service Above Self in the areas of leadership, team building, planning, marketing, communication and organization. Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) enriches that learning through sharing experiences and ideas with other Rotarians throughout our district and region. RLI will strengthen your club and strengthen your Rotary life. Last Saturday April 1, 2017, three of our own Emmaus Rotarians traveled to suburbia Philadelphia in the wee hours of the morning. Burt Duren, Gary Rohrbach and Steve Gould made the trip with one other Allentown Rotarian and incoming President Barb Bottitta. It was a fantastic day and very insightful. Everyone agreed every Rotarian could use some RLI. Many ideas and motivation to move mountains were created from Saturday's RLI event.
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New Rotary Club Coming to Town! Lets Welcome Whitehall!Club of Whitehall Area
Join Us For Our Charter Night!
Dear District 7430 Rotarians, Please join us as we charter the NEW Whitehall Area Rotary Club on Tuesday, March 28th. This is very special event and we would like to fill the room with Rotarians to show our support for this brand NEW Rotary Club. This memorable dinner will be held at Fellowship Community, 3020 Fellowship Drive, Whitehall, PA starting at 6 PM. The dinner includes an exceptional three-course meal (menu is on the EventBrite link.) The cost (including EventBrite charge) is only $29.50 per person. If you wish, you can also make a donation through the link below to help the club get started. You can sign up through the link below: Hope to see you on March 28! Yours in Service to Humanity, Linda Young District Governor, 7430 |
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March of Dimes Ashley Fulmer Have you been touched by the March of Dimes? The question Ashley Fulmer (Business Development Person for the March of Dimes) posed to all who attended the Thursday morning meeting last week. Her answer is we all have been touched by the March of Dimes. If you have ever been given an Apgar score, taken folic acid, or had a polio vaccination you were touched by the march of Dimes.
FDR created the March of Dimes in 1938 with the original goal of eliminating Polio. Dr Jonas Salk developed the cure and probably all of us has had the Polio vaccination.
In the early 70's the March of Dimes changed directions to help babies to be born healthy. 1 in every 10 babies is born premature which in and of itself created health issues for small children. This does not take into account the other health issues babies have when born. Since 1970 the March of Dimes has raised over $900 million for research into health issues the research to help end the these issues for children.
Ashley is responsible for two fund raisers for the March of Dimes in our area. Her largest fund raising team last year with a little over $14, 000 was our own John and Debbie Chisca. We are proud to recognize John and Debbie for their hard work and dedication to the March of Dimes"
.png) and what they represent. "The March for babies" will take place on Sunday April 30th and the goal for the Lehigh Valley is to raise over $500,000 for the March of Dimes this year. The monies are utilized for research to find the cure for health risks for children. If you have a chance to go and support John and his team on April 30th please do so, if not remember what the March of Dimes stands for and how far they have come from their beginning when FDR asked people of the US to give anything even if it only a DIME.
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President's Message - March 7, 2017It was great to see some new faces this past week! Please continue to share Rotary and invite new guests to club meetings and events. More Rotarians equals more people served. Related to that, I've always loved to see fresh ideas bloom into reality. As you think about our community and world, if you come up with or have a project idea, let someone know and we will try to help to make it happen. If there is a need, don't be shy. With 90+ Emmaus Rotarians and growing, we have the ability to accomplish a lot of great things.
Please don't forget to bring pasta for the Angel network this week as we continue that collection. Also, consider making your Rotary Foundation donation of $126.50 this month! I hope to see you Thursday.
- Jeff A. McElhaney Jr.
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Lily's Hope Foundation |
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President's Message - February 28, 2017As Rotary International celebrated its' 112th anniversary on February 23rd, Emmaus Rotary marked its 91st birthday on February 22nd. Ninety one years of service to humanity from East Penn to far reaches of the world. Ninety one years sustainably changing lives of people in need.
In honor of this tremendous anniversary I'd ask two things:
1. If you have not made your donation to the Rotary Foundation, I'd encourage you to do so this month. The goal is set for $126.50 for each member. I'd love to see us reach 100% participation in giving. Support of the Foundation will continue to ensure Rotary as a whole, including Emmaus Rotary, is around for another 91+ years!
2. Share Rotary. Bring a friend, colleague, business leader to a breakfast meeting. We cover their first visit. The more Rotarians we have, ultimately the more people we will be able to serve.
I hope to see you at this weeks meeting.
Best regards,
- Jeff McElhaney Jr.
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President's Message - February 21, 2017What a beautiful glimpse of spring this past weekend! I hope that everyone was able to enjoy some sunshine. With weather like this we will be out in force in no time at the Hillside School mulching and looking to partner with Habitat for Humanity!
A reminder, Rotary District 7430 will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of The Rotary Foundation with an evening filled with dinner and dancing on Saturday, March 11, 2017, from 6 -10 p.m. at the PineCrest Country Club, 101 Country Club Drive, Lansdale, PA 19446. During the Gala there will be both a silent and live auction. Anyone who purchases an item from the auction will have their purchase amount donated in their name to the Annual Fund. Follow the directions from the link below to sign up. Tickets are $55 each. I hope to see you there!
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President's Message - February 14, 2017"A Rotary club gives us an opportunity that no social, political, or specialized business club can do. It is strong on the human side; it stands for the individual, unfetters them, appeals to their originality, brings out their latent powers, and puts them at their best by extending them the full measure of their confidence and appealing to the best that is in them - 'service not self'".
- Glenn C. Mead, RI President 1912-13
This Thursday we are back to our normal weekly meetings at Brookside CC. Happy Valentines Day. I look forward to seeing you then! - Jeff McElhaney
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East Penn Community and Rotarians for a Common Cause Thursday evening February 2nd a group of approximately 65 people met at the Willow Lane Elementary School. Jeff McElhaney along with the organizers Michele and Bobby put us to work helping to feed people in need. Jeff led us with a few words explaining the evening and introducing Bobby and Michele. Bobby and Michele spread their outreach program, I believe he said over four States and the District of Columbia. Jeff introduced the President of the Emmaus Food bank and she thanked us for the meals we were donating to the approximately 120 East Penn Families that use the food bank in our immediate area.
In all there were six stations of 10 people including children, Interact students and Rotarians and their families. Along with the Emmaus Rotarians there were other Valley rotary groups helping with the cause. As we put on our hair nets, plastic gloves, and aprons we broke up in groups filling special bags with nutritious soy protein, beans, vegetables and rice to be used by a family of four to six to have a meal with the proper nutrition.
On the other side of the cafeteria the groups were putting together macaroni and cheese dinners for other families. In all we filled about 20000 meals with some of the meals going to our local food bank at Bethany Bible Church in Emmaus.
A special thank you to Tony Moyer the Principal at Willow Lane Elementary School for providing the facility, the fellowship, the delicious meal and snacks and the time we had to spend together as friends, and especially Rotarians.
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President's Message - February 7, 2017Wow! I have to say, what a fun event this past Thursday evening packaging 20,000 meals at Willow Lane Elementary School. Between 75-90 Rotarians and friends of Rotary were able to get the job done in about two hours. Thank you for your hard work! All of the meals were donated to the Emmaus Food Pantry at Bethel Bible Fellowship, "Groceries Plus", and they will feed local East Penn families in need.
This week we are back to Brookside CC for our normal 7:30 AM breakfast meeting. I hope to see you there. Let's continue to find ways to help people in need and serve humanity.
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President's Message - January 31, 2017
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Zero End Game for Polio in PakistanPakistan and Rotary are cutting through a whirl of migrating families and cultural barriers to turn what was 'a badge of shame' into a model for disease eradication.By Ryan HylandProduced by Miriam Doan SHARE: ***Emmaus Rotary*** Check out this full story at https://www.rotary.org/en/new-polio-strategy-working-pakistan At a busy toll plaza in Kohat, Pakistan, a three-member vaccination team is working fast. Outfitted in blue Rotary vests and flanked by armed military personnel, the vaccinators approach a white van as it pulls away from the scattered stream of traffic, cars rattling east toward Islamabad and west to the nearby border with Afghanistan. One worker leans toward the driver to ask a question as another reaches into a cooler to prepare the vaccine. Among the crush of passengers in the van, they identify one child who has not yet been vaccinated. There is no time for second-guessing. There is not even enough room for the boy to crawl toward the front of the vehicle or through one of the doors; a relative must hand the young child to the vaccinators through one of the rear windows. He is quickly inoculated with two drops of oral polio vaccine, and his pinkie finger is stained with purple ink to indicate that he’s received his dose. He cries as the vaccinator hurriedly passes him back through the window. The van speeds off, fading back into the dizzying hum of traffic, as the vaccinators look for the next car and child. This scene plays out thousands of times a day at transit posts like this one — makeshift vaccination clinics set up at bus stops, border crossings, army posts, and police checkpoints across the country in an effort to reach children who are on the move. Here in Pakistan, home to almost all of the world’s polio cases just a few years ago, these moving targets require a vaccination strategy as agile and stubborn as the virus itself. At hundreds of sites, teams of health workers verify that every child passing through receives the vaccine. The interaction is fleeting — faster than getting a meal at a drive-through restaurant — but the benefit is permanent. Another child, another family, another generation is protected, and Pakistan moves one step closer to having zero polio cases.  
More than 700 children are vaccinated daily at the busy Kohat Toll Plaza, which borders Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Photos by Khaula Jamil Setback yearIn 2014, Pakistan’s effort to wipe out polio, a disease that can paralyze, was in crisis. Political pressure to root out the virus was being tested, reports of violence against vaccinators were common, and perceptions that the country was an incubator of the disease grew. Massive population movement and displacement had pushed the anti-polio campaign to its limit. The consequence? Reports of the disease spiked to alarming levels. The explosive outbreak that year totaled 306 reported cases, up from 93 the previous year. Pakistan had 82 percent of the world’s cases of polio in 2014. One newspaper editorial at the time called the epidemic Pakistan’s “badge of shame.” Dr. Rana Safdar, director of the National Emergency Operations Center in Pakistan, on the success of Rotary’s PolioPlus strategy.A pointed 2014 report from the Independent Monitoring Board of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative spotlighted Pakistan’s missteps, humbling government leaders and health officials, who scrambled to find solutions. “We were emotional and somewhat defensive,” says Dr. Rana Safdar, director of the National Emergency Operations Center in Pakistan. “But the report pushed us to get our act together on polio, for first time. Our program was a threat to the global polio eradication efforts. The upsurge we had in Pakistan was unprecedented.” The government effectively declared war on polio, condemning the outbreak as a national disaster. Words were soon matched with action. “The motivation and the commitment of the vaccinators on the front line and government officials became stronger,” says Aziz Memon, chair of Rotary’s Pakistan PolioPlus Committee. “We had more reason to say, ‘Yes, we need to get rid of this disease and fulfill the promise we made to the children of this country: No child in the future will be crippled by this disease.’” Led by this renewed commitment, the country rallied, intensifying immunizations through new strategies that resulted in a dramatic decrease in polio cases over the next two years. The number of new infections dropped from 306 in 2014 to 56 the next year, a decrease of 82 percent. In 2016, only 15 cases of polio caused by the wild virus were reported. ‘A paradigm shift’To quell spread of the disease and reduce the risk of exporting cases to neighboring countries, Pakistan adopted a National Emergency Action Plan. The immediate goals: to cut off transmission of the virus in high-risk areas and to reach missed children. POLIO CASES IN PAKISTAN2016: 19 cases 2015: 54 cases 2014: 304 cases 2013: 93 cases 2012: 58 cases Routine vaccination campaigns that immunize children door to door were no longer enough. Calling it a “paradigm shift in strategy,” Senator Ayesha Farooq, who leads the anti-polio strategy for the prime minister in Pakistan, says the revitalized program focuses heavily on children who have routinely missed vaccinations. “Despite the fact we were receiving 80 percent coverage in every campaign, the other 10 to 20 percent that we were missing out on were sustaining the virus,” she says. Rotary launched the world’s first global polio immunization program, PolioPlus, in 1985. In 1988, it became a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). It continues to work for polio eradication with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than 2.5 billion children worldwide. Polio cases have plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from 350,000 cases in 1988 to 27 in 2016. |
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President's Message - January 23, 2017This Thursday evening we get a chance to mingle and serve with the Emmaus High School Interact Club at 6 PM in the Emmaus H.S. Cafeteria. We will meet our new Interact advisors, hear from our French exchange student, review some of the things that Interact has done and then work on a service project. Please bring any gently used clothing, travel sized toiletries, and snacks. These items will be packaged and given to local families in need.
Remember, we are asking that Rotarians pay their normal $15. You certainly can add more as a donation and the funds will be carried over into the Outreach meal packaging program on 2/2. Fortunately our meal for the evening has been donated by Mike Lahanas and Mike Gibson. Thank you!
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Big Brothers Big Sisters CEOThis past Thursday we had the pleasure of meeting Susan Bartels the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters LV (BBBSLV). Susan was introduced by Bryce where he and Mike Lahanas serve by being board members. She has been the CEO and director for the past three years where she oversees all aspects of the organization's fund development and program expansion for Lehigh and Northampton counties. Susan has taken the organization from 300 to 415 the number of "little's" that are currently being mentored by a "Big". Bigs are the adults that come to mentor the children and little's are the children being mentored. Susan is currently looking for approximately 100 new mentors for the program.
She and Bryce will be working with the Emmaus Rotary to form a sub committee to see how the Emmaus Rotary club can help BBBSLV with their ongoing needs. Bryce shared his experiences as a child when he was part of the program BBBS. Susan has moved the offices of BBBSLV from Macungie area to Allentown where BBBSLV inherited a church and its facilities to expand their organization. Currently Susan has taken on a group of littles on a weekly basis at the new location providing fellowship and ministry to the littles who do not have a mentor to help them.
Susan is extremely active in getting area non profit leaders working together to achieve some common goals. She is a gold standard recipient(only 17 BBBS local organizations received this award) a prestigious award recognizing her hard work and dedication based on metrics within the BBBS National Organization. Susan has a Master's in Social Work from Temple University and resides in Upper Black Eddy with her husband Denny and son Dean. She also is a Big Sister to Lee Lee at Jefferson school. We look forward to helping Bryce and Mike helping the Big Brothers Big sisters of the Lehigh Valley.
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President's Message - January 16, 2017Rotarians we need your help over the next few weeks!
First, for our Evening meeting at Emmaus High School with the Interact Club on Thursday 1/26 at 6:00 PM. Please bring to this Thursday's meeting, or to the meeting on 1/26, snacks, toiletries, and gently used clothing. After meeting our "future Rotarians" and hearing about their endeavors, we will be packaging these items for both the Allentown Rescue Mission and other local families in need.
Note, though dinner has been donated by Mike Lahanas, we will be collecting the normal $15 meal fee from Rotary members; guests and students will be free. This fee in addition to any other cash donations will go towards Outreach Program food packaging event the following week, Thursday 2/2 at Willow Lane Elementary School cafeteria at 6:00 PM. We will also collect $15 for the 2/2 event that will go towards increasing the number of meals we can pack. Dinner will also be donated during that event. If we get 67 people to attend each meeting that would allow us to pack an additional 8000 meals and reach 20,000 meals for our community.
Both of these meetings will be a great opportunity to serve humanity and build goodwill and better friendships. The more people we have at the Outreach event, the more meals we can provide and the faster we can package them. I encourage you to bring your family, a friend, or spouse to assist with the event.
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New Years Resolution
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Rotary.org's New LookCheck out Rotary.org’s modern, new lookRotary.org, our public-facing website, has a fresh, contemporary look that clearly answers the often-asked question: “What is Rotary?” It’s the first step in a two-part update to our entire website: first Rotary.org, and then My Rotary. For many people, our website is their introduction to the great work that Rotary members do to improve lives around the world. It’s meant to create an emotional connection that inspires potential members, donors, and partners to get involved. The latest changes to the public site do that, and more. Some of the updates will be obvious: a modern design, increased use of imagery and graphics to tell our stories, and better organization of content to help readers find out who we are and what we’re doing. Other changes, like the improved readability and speed of the site, will be a welcome surprise. These upgrades are made possible partly by the dues increase the 2016 Council on Legislation passed to allow Rotary to provide additional support to clubs and districts. As part of our work to refresh My Rotary, we’ll also update Rotary Club Central and the Club and District Administration pages — more information about these improvements will arrive in the coming months. Visit www.rotary.org to see all the enhancements to our public site. |
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LEIGH MORING – NATHANAEL GREENE IN SOUTH CAROLINA (DECEMBER 22, 2016)
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President's Message - January 3, 2017Happy and Healthy 2017 to all Rotarians and friends of Rotary. Looking back at 2016, we were able to make a significant difference in many lives. As we enter the new year, let's continue to find ways to compound that impact in service of humanity.
This Thursday we will open up discussion during our club assembly. Let's use it as a time to review our goals, refocus, and make sure we are on track to make that difference. Your candid feedback is encouraged.
As it's the first Thursday of the month, we will be collecting food for the needy. We are also gathering clothes and snacks for the joint Interact meeting on 1/26. Your participation is much appreciated. In addition to those two great causes we will be looking to generate up to an additional $2000 for our Outreach food packaging event at Willow Lane Elementary School on 2/2. We've committed $3000 which will be enough to pack 12,000 meals. Each meal costs 25 cents. Let's see if we can package 20,000!
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President's Message - December 20, 2016This week we have a special treat, Leigh Moring, author of Nathanael Green in South Carolina- Hero of the American Revolution, as our guest speaker. It should prove to be a great program. Yes, Leigh happens to be the daughter of Emmaus Rotarian Platte Moring.
In addition, don't forget to wear your holiday gear. Again, there will be some small prizes to those who display the best Christmas, Hannukah, or winter holiday cheer. Although I'm sure Dale may be on the lookout to add a surplus to his fines budget.
After this weeks meeting we will be having a board meeting. Members are welcome to observe.
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EMMAUS HIGH SCHOOL SELECT CHOIR - DECEMBER 8, 2016 On December 15 – and for the third year in a row - the Emmaus High School Select Choir performed a program of a capella Christmas music at Emmaus Rotary Club. A few of the songs performed by the choir included:
 Members also enjoyed several songs by Fermata Nowhere – an all-male group from the Select Choir. A few of the songs performed by the guys included:
Thanks very much to all of the students and to Rita Cortez, Director of Choral Programs at Emmaus High School, for the sharing their holiday spirit and wonderful talent with our club!
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KRIS DEPAOLO - DECEMBER 8, 2016 Kris DePaolo delivered his classification talk at the December 8 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Kris joined the club in October 2015 and was sponsored by Bob Rust.
Kris was born in Frederick, Maryland in 1978. He moved to the Lehigh Valley at a young age and is a graduate of Freedom High School. Kris earned a bachelor degree from Bloomsburg University in 2001 and passed the Certified Public Accountant exam in 2007.
Kris shared details about his employment history including stints with ShopRite, Cutco and the accounting firm of Reinsel Kuntz Lesher. He is currently a partner with Werner and Co. Kris outlined the range of services provided by Werner, as well as information about the unique building Werner occupies on Hamilton Street in Wescosville.
Kris and his wife Lin are proud parents of Carter (age 5) and Ava (age 3).
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CHECK PRESENTATION - LOWER MACUNGIE LIBRARY At the December 8 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club, Gary Guthrie - Chairman of the Community Service Committee - presented a $4,000 check to Kathee Rhode - Executive Director of the Lower Macungie Library - as funding for a 3-D printer. The Community Service Committee secured a $2,000 grant from Rotary District 7430 which was combined with $2,000 from Emmaus Rotary Club to purchase the 3-D printer. Ms. Rhode shared plans for the printer and invited club members to visit the library to see the printer in action.
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President's Message - December 13, 2016Thank you to those Rotarians who sacrificed their time to set-up and work the concession stand at the annual Cyclocross race at Camp Olympic Park this past Sunday. It's quite a fun event to watch and a great time to build goodwill and better friendships. Funds raised will be donated to the local hospitality house, Jenn's House.
This weeks program will be the Emmaus High School Chorale. They're always quite talented and it's becoming a wonderful tradition to have them each year as our Christmas and Holiday program. Come out and you're sure to leave feeling the holiday spirit!
A quick reminder, we will have a meeting next week 12/22, but we will not have a meeting on 12/29. Also a brief plug, as 2016 continues to come to an end, if you're making year end decisions, consider making a donation to either the Rotary Foundation or the Emmaus Rotary Foundation Scholarship fund. Rotary's impact on humanity is substantial, thanks to you.
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President's Message - December 6, 2016We've officially entered December. When did that happen? With major holidays Hanukkah and Christmas bringing many American families together, this time of the year seems to naturally bring to the forefront people around the world in need. Let us find ways to continue to help others through out the holiday season.
One way Emmaus Rotary will be helping is by raising money through a concession stand at the Cyclocross Event this weekend at Camp Olympic. As you receive requests to serve, consider spending an hour or two on Sunday to help out. All the proceeds will go towards the hospitality house on Cedar Crest Blvd., Jenn's House.
The over 300 cans of soup that we collected this past month will also be going out to local Emmaus families throughout the month. The community service committee will be looking at an event soon that could add a significantly towards local hunger efforts. Stay tuned!
A thank you to those who attended the Remembrance Brick Ceremony for our fallen Rotarians, John Kirschmnan, Richard Brooks, and Ron Merkel. Michael Waddell facilitated a very nice ceremony, thank you. The Emmaus Remembrance Garden is a beautiful parcel to go for quiet reflection.
Everyone have a wonderful week!
- Jeff A. McElhaney Jr.
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President's Message - November 29, 2016Did everyone have enough turkey and pumpkin pie? I hope so! Now if you have any extra non-perishable food items, bring them to our next meeting. We will be having our monthly food collection for local families in need. This time of the year many of these families have an extra need for assistance. Let's do our best to help them. Immediately following our meeting this Thursday join us at the Emmaus Remembrance Garden at 9 AM. We will be installing bricks for our late Rotarians John Kirschmnan, Richard Brooks, and Ron Merkel. |
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PLATTE MORING - NOVEMBER 17, 2016 Platte Moring delivered his classification talk to Emmaus Rotary Club on November 17. Platte was sponsored by Bob Rust when he joined our club earlier this year. In commemoration of Veterans Day, Platte graciously shared his presentation about his deployment to Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004.
Platte began his presentation by mentioning that Rick Zayaitz and Jim Ritter were classmates of his at Emmaus High School. Platte was accepted at Princeton University and joined ROTC to help pay his way through school. Platte served in the Army Reserves for four years and joined the JAG Corp after graduation from Vanderbilt Law School. Platte then served as a legal officer for 25 years in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In his civilian life, Platte practices law at the Lehigh Valley law office of White & Williams.
Following the September 11 attacks, Platte believed his Guard unit might be called up to active duty. On Valentine’s Day 2003 (also his wife’s birthday), Platte received notice that his unit had been called up. For the first time – at age 45, Platte began serving as a full-time soldier.
Platte’s unit was originally slated to provide support to US troops in Iraq as they moved toward Baghdad from Kuwait. However, troop movements happened much faster than anticipated eliminating any support needs from Platte’s unit. The unit’s mission was changed to assist in rebuilding Afghanistan’s government and infrastructure following the defeat of the Taliban. After training for three months at Fort Dix, Platte’s unit arrived in Afghanistan in June 2003.
Platte shared many aspects of life in Afghanistan including the abject poverty endured by most citizens, proliferation of land mines, lack of electric power and clean water, rudimentary educational methods and treatment of Afghan women.
Shortly after his arrival in Afghanistan, Platte’s commander noted his JAG insignia and directed him to work with the Italian military which was tasked with developing a new legal system and constitution. He described his participation in the development of many elements of the new Afghan constitution. Platte also related the moving story of his attendance at the constitutional convention. He was literally present at the birth of the new Afghan nation when the delegates voted to adopt the constitution.
Platte learned that the Afghan legal system put very little emphasis on the accused being represented by competent defense counsel. Rather, the courts generally favored the prosecution unless the accused was able to bribe the judge for a reduced sentence or acquittal. Platte lobbied his commander for permission to teach a course at Kabul University to train defense lawyers. When he was turned down, Platte decided to teach the course anyway! He joked that his Afghan students were not like American students – They were more mature, always prepared, eager to learn and sober. He praised the dedication of his students which included several women.
Platte shared many more stories and memories from his deployment too numerous to mention here. He has written a book documenting his experiences entitled Honor First – A Citizen Shoulder in Afghanistan.
Platte ended his presentation by reading the words of Judge William Young from a transcript of the sentencing hearing for Richard Reid – the terrorist convicted of attempting to ignite a bomb in his shoe on an American Airlines flight in December 2001. A copy of Judge Young’s eloquent and forceful statement in defense of freedom can be found by clicking here.
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KEVIN HEDRICK - LCTI STUDENT OF THE MONTH Kevin Hedrick was recognized as the Lehigh Career & Technical Institute Student of the Month by Emmaus Rotary Club on November 10. Kevin attended the meeting with his parents, Terry and Kimberly. Kevin is a full-day student in LCTI's Marketing and Business Education program. He spoke briefly about his course work at LCTI and his future goals which include joining the finance team at a high technology corporation after university work in Finance and Business Management. Congratulations Kevin and best of luck to you in your future endeavors!
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ROTARY FOUNDATION COMMITTEE PROGRAM - NOVEMBER 10, 2016 Cindy Hornaman, District Governor Nominee and co-chair of Emmaus Rotary Club’s Foundation/International Service Committee led the program on November 10. In commemoration of Rotary Foundation month, Cindy arranged for Chris Boyce to speak to our club via Skype. Chris is a staff employee at Rotary International where his duties include serving as the Annual Giving Officer for Zone 32.
Using a series of PowerPoint slides, Chris shared some of the history of The Rotary Foundation and reminded us that the Foundation is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year. Chris also walked through the Foundation’s model for handling donations to the Annual Fund which are equally divided into two funds: the District Designated Fund (DDF) and the World Fund. Gifts from each Rotary year are made available three years later for District Grants and Global Grants.
Each Rotary district controls the spending of DDF amounts for District Grants. And, The Rotary Foundation Trustees control the distribution of World Fund amounts for Global Grants. Chris provided detail on the DDF amounts available for District 7430 and cited examples of the types of grants these funds provided.
Cindy then recounted the projects (and related grant amounts) in which Emmaus Rotary Club has participated. Projects ranged from local playground equipment to micro-credit lending in India. In total, our club has participated in projects involving over $500,000. Cindy also related how DDF generated from our club’s giving has been wisely leveraged with matching grants from The Rotary Foundation and used toward several Global Grant projects.
In conclusion, Cindy reminded us of this year’s Foundation Annual Fund giving target for each club member: $126.50, which is made up of our annual $100 Every Rotarian Every Year request PLUS $26.50 to commemorate the initial gift to The Rotary Foundation of this amount by its founder, Arch Klumpf.
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President's Message - November 8, 2016As Rotarians serving humanity we can be proud that we are a diverse group of individuals. We look past our different personal views, we leave our egos and politics to the side and we aim to sincerely offer lasting help to people who genuinely need it. As you head to the polls today let me offer hope and prayer that we elect leaders that put their egos and personal agendas aside to serve our nation selflessly, and thus truly serve all of humanity. The United States carries incredible power through its leadership. May we not take it for granted and use that power to continue to foster peace and goodwill throughout the world. Let us also pause to give thanks for the men and women who have put their lives in jeopardy to protect our dear nation. To our Veterans, we say thank you for standing for our freedom and for protecting the inalienable God given rights that we've been so lucky to have in the United States. For putting your lives in enemy lines to protect all of mankind, all of our families, and service above yourselves, thank you. Happy Veterans Day! |
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LEHIGH CAREER & TECHNICAL INSTITUTE - November 3, 2016The November 3 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club was held at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute in Schnecksville. Dr. Thomas Rushton, Executive Director of LCTI, was our host for the evening. Founded in 1971, LCTI provides more than 45 skills-based programs of study, as well as academic instruction for 2,700 students across Lehigh County’s nine public school districts. LCTI is Pennsylvania’s largest career and technical school. Clubs members were treated to a delicious dinner prepared by Ashley Hilbert and Michaela Breslin, two very enthusiastic LCTI culinary arts students, and Brock Cahoon, LCTI’s chef. Following dinner, Dr. Rushton led us on a tour of four of the dozens of LCTI “labs” where students develop skills in their respective areas of study. We were privileged to view labs for Culinary Arts, Commercial Baking, Electromechanical/Mechatronics Technology and Pre-Engineering & Engineering Technology. In each space, members were impressed by quality of the spotlessly clean and well-equipped “labs.” Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to tour other “labs” in LCTI’s nearly 500,000 square foot building. At each stop, Dr. Rushton emphasized how LCTI’s courses of study prepare its graduates for today’s competitive workplace, as well as their post-secondary education studies. This was the first exposure to LCTI for many members. But, based on comments heard during the tour, everyone was impressed by the facilities and breadth of programs available to our area’s high school students.
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RENEE HAINES - OCTOBER 27, 2016.jpeg) Renee Haines was the speaker at the October 27 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Renee earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Library Science from Kutztown University and Syracuse University, respectively. While in college, Renee worked in school libraries and has also worked in academic libraries over the course of her career. But, her first love is the public library where every day is an adventure. Renee has worked as a reference librarian, a collection development librarian, a consultant librarian and as a liaison between state and local libraries. She has been with the Allentown Public Library since 2009 and has served as its director since 2010.
During her presentation, Renee took our club on a journey through the history of public libraries from the turn of the last century to today. For each era, Renee provided an overview of how public libraries have evolved from a books-only institution formed by women’s societies and funded by the Carnegie fortune to the high tech multi-media hearts-of-the community of today. Renee also provided a detailed overview of the resources, programs and services available at the Allentown Public Library. This includes everything from book clubs and classes to free Wi-Fi, downloadable audio books and computer resources for the visually-impaired. Renee also outlined the cooperative partnerships between the libraries in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, as well as the smaller libraries throughout Lehigh and Carbon counties.
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President's Message - November 1, 2016Since joining Emmaus Rotary 11 years ago, he has truly become a Rotarian, embracing the ideals of serving humanity. He has also helped to lead our club to its most successful fundraisers ever for the past four years. A dedicated father, business owner, leader and now 2nd Vice President of Emmaus Rotary Club, congratulations Steve Gould! Steve has accepted the nomination to become our clubs 2nd Vice President and the board approved the nomination this past Thursday.
Coming up this Thursday, in place of our regularly stated meeting, there will be an EVENING meeting at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute (LCTI, 4500 Education Park Dr, Schnecksville, PA 18078). There will be a buffet dinner and tour of the facility. Let's come together to learn more about what LCTI offers students and how they can go on to serve humanity. The meeting will start at 5:30 PM and the costs are covered through our dues, fines and social budget. There will be no morning meeting at Brookside CC.
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President's Message - October 25, 2016A disease that literally paralyzed hundreds of thousands of people through out history, as recently as back in the 1980's, has almost disappeared. Perhaps because we don't witness the devastating effect of Polio, we often forget its terrible consequences. This past Saturday Rotarians from around our district gathered for the Yvette Palmer Purple Pinkie 5k and 1 mile fun walk, to raise funds to continue to stamp out Polio. In attendance were Polio survivors whom are again feeling some of the long term symptoms of the terrible disease (pictured below). They praised Rotary and their efforts to eradicate Polio. In that effort the event raised over $16,000 for Polio Plus which will be increased by an additional $32,000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. That's $48,000 towards Rotary's Polio eradication efforts!
On another note, please keep an eye on the calendar for upcoming events. To highlight a few, on Thursday 11/3 our normal breakfast meeting will be moved to an evening meeting at LCTI. Please let Ceil know if your attending. An new addition to the calendar this week is an evening service activity. Kris DePaolo has coordinated Emmaus Rotary Club to prepare and serve dinner for the Allentown Rescue Mission on Tuesday November 15th! Kris will be looking for volunteers to make and serve the meal over the next couple of weeks.
This Thursday is our club board meeting immediately following our normal breakfast meeting. Club members are welcome to sit in. Feedback and new ideas are encouraged.
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VALERIE DENEEN – OCTOBER 13, 2016 Valerie Deneen delivered her classification talk at the October 13, 2016 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Valerie acknowledged Jerry Friedman as her sponsor and cited Rotary’s traditions as being important to her membership.
Valerie told an engaging story of her parents meeting as high school students. Her mother was an exchange student in the USA from Argentina. Three days before her mother’s return to South America, Valerie’s father finally worked up the nerve to show his interest. In the ensuing three days, they grew closer and even discussed names of future children! What transpired thereafter was a five-year intercontinental romance carried on entirely through weekly letters and cassette recordings. During this time, Valerie's father served in the U.S. Air Force and her mother worked in the tourism industry. Valerie’s dad finally proposed on one of his cassette recordings (which was delivered along with roses). Valerie’s parents married soon thereafter and enjoyed 40 years together before her father passed away a few years ago. Because of her parents’ story, Valerie is fascinated with how people connect.
Valerie made her own connection with Mark when they were both working part-time at the Bucknell University computer center. They have been married for 15 years and have two daughters – Emily (12) and Clara (8). After working as a computer engineer, Valerie transitioned to the digital publishing world and formed her own company - Inner Child Fun Media LLC.
Valerie shared several life lessons she learned from her father. Rather than receive an allowance while a child, Valerie was told to find jobs that needed done and bargain with her father on the amount she would be paid to complete the job. This taught her the value of initiative and negotiation.
Valerie celebrates her birthday in a very admirable way. Rather than be the recipient of gifts, Valerie performs an act of kindness for each year she has been alive. Her reward is the happiness and smiles of others generated by her generosity of spirit.
Valerie is clearly a gifted storyteller. During her talk, she shared numerous anecdotes about her life and family. Along the way, we learned that Valerie loves to fingerpaint (using oils), has a deep connection to cardboard (for all sorts of craft projects including one amazing “gingerbread” house), appears regularly in local, regional and national media, and – along with her girls – never misses an opportunity to be “fabulous.”
Valerie ended her talk with pictures and stories from her family’s “Great American Roadshow” from this past summer. Valerie and her family were away for 20 days, visited 6 national parks, drove over 6000 miles, and enjoyed numerous sunrise hikes. We learned that Clara had a knack for just the right words of encouragement for others on the hiking trail and fulfilled a hilarious, but very down-to-earth goal for each state she visited.
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President's Message - October 18, 2016Is it really time for Trick-or Treating? The weather today doesn't feel like it, but I hope you're prepared for a fun night on Wednesday at the Miracle League. Interact students and Rotarians will be on site at the Miracle League facility to facilitate a memorable night for the children with disabilities. A nice act of service above self.
At this weeks meeting we will review our annual goals as a club and for each committee during our club assembly. We will also look for candid feedback on areas of improvement and new opportunities that may exist. These meetings are important and your participation is valuable to keep our club moving in the right direction and make sure our efforts are on "Serving Humanity".
Also, don't forget that this Saturday morning is the Yvette Palmer Purple Pinkie 5k race and one mile fun walk. We have a number of folks participating! Let us know if you have last minute interest.
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CAMP NEIDIG PARTICIPANTS – AUGUST 11, 2016 At the August 11 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club, we heard from four of the students sponsored by our club at this year’s session of Camp Neidig: Vinoshi, Joe, Dana and Natalie.
Camp Neidig is sponsored by clubs throughout District 7430. Its purpose is to provide rising high school seniors with the opportunity to live, work, and socialize together in a dynamic leadership environment. Camp activities are focused on contemporary problems, ethical situations and decision making and designed to develop leaders.
Dana was impressed with the camp’s focus on servant leadership. She also made many new friends including another student planning to attend Temple University who could be her roommate. Dana was also very impressed to meet people from all over the world during her time at camp.
Joe also made loads of new friends during his time at camp. He is a proud member of the Apache tribe and really enjoyed the competitive activities between tribes. Joe also said his activities focused on the Sunday worship service were very meaningful.
Vinoshi also made many new friends from all over Pennsylvania during her camp experience. She has participated in several group chats with her camp friends in the weeks since she came home. Vinoshi also said she enjoyed the problem solving exercises with her tribe. She said those exercises were fun and bonding with her fellow campers.
Natalie said she was nervous when she was separated from her Emmaus High friends upon arriving at camp. However, she was surprised by how quickly her nervousness was replaced by the new friendships she made with the campers in her tribe. She has also participated in some group chats with her tribe since returning home. She expects to remain close to many of her new friends. Natalie also said all of the outside speakers were amazing – particularly the speaker who talked about servant leadership.
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President's Message, August 9, 2016Let's continue to be "MAD" (Make A Difference) and serve humanity, as District Governor Linda Young urged at our club meeting last week. I encourage you to read the review of her presentation below. Her passion for Rotary was evident and we are lucky to have her guidance in our district.
Rotary at work once again! A big thank you to the Emmaus Rotarians who volunteered over the weekend at Das Awkscht Fescht. These events are wonderful times of fellowship and service to the community.
I also, want to send another thank you to Ceil Birdsell and Nancy Berlin for planning our social hour this past Wednesday night at The Barn in Emmaus. We had a huge turnout of around 50 Rotarians and guests! We are looking forward to more social gatherings to build goodwill, friendship, awareness of Rotary and even find some new members as we tour different locations around East Penn.
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DISTRICT GOVERNOR LINDA YOUNG – AUGUST 4, 2016 District 7430 Governor Linda Young was the speaker at the August 4, 2016 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. DG Linda focused on three themes during her presentation: Membership, The Rotary Foundation and Service.
On membership, Linda began with her story of joining the Quakertown Rotary Club. Her boss was invited to join, but had other commitments. So, Linda joined instead. It was at the Quakertown Club that Linda learned about Rotaplast and the seed was planted for her future commitment to help those with cleft lips and palates. In 2007, Linda became a charter member of the Saucon/Center Valley Rotary Club and learned from the ground up what it takes for a new club to be successful. Linda has established two goals for membership during 2016-2017: Increase net membership in the district by 100 members and start two new clubs. Linda challenged Emmaus Rotary Club to grow its net membership by six this year. She also reminded us that Rotary is all about relationships and to ask our friends and colleagues “Why aren’t you a Rotarian?”
Linda explained that 2016-2017 is the Centennial Anniversary of The Rotary Foundation. She reminded us of the Foundation’s high ratings by Charity Navigator and of the tremendous work the Foundation has done in recent years to eradicate polio. Linda is planning a spring event to celebrate the Centennial. Stay tuned for more details! Linda’s three goals related to the Foundation this year are: (1) To honor of the Foundation’s Centennial, every member in District 7430 club is asked to give at least $26.50 to the Foundation (this was the amount of the first contribution to the Foundation in 1916); (2) Increase District 7430 contributions to the Foundation’s Annual Fund by 10%; (3) Donations of at least $1,500 to Polio Plus by every District 7430 club.
Regarding service, Linda told the story of her participation on a Rotaplast mission to Venezuela in 2008. She explained how children and adults afflicted with cleft lips and palates are ostracized and mocked. Affected children often drop out of school and many suffer other health problems because of their condition. Linda also spoke of the amazing level of trust that mothers place on complete strangers to help their children and of the 67 year old man who was so happy with the results of his surgery that he kissed everyone in sight. During her 2008 mission, Venezuela and Colombia were at war and flights of military aircraft were zooming overhead. Despite the difficult conditions, Linda said she felt calm and knew she was involved in something deeply meaningful. It was on that mission, she realized a simple, but profound truth: we are all the same. We all want what is best for our children. We all want to have a better life for ourselves and our families. And she realized her Rotary service – whether at home or on a mission to Venezuela – was helping those most in need to heal and live a better life, fostering peace and understanding in a troubled world. After that inspiring story,Linda ended her presentation with a challenge for all of us to be “MAD.” Pointing at the banner promoting this year’s district conference, Linda challenged us all to Make A Difference!
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MELISSA SCHWARTZ - CLASSIFICATION TALK - JULY 28, 2016.JPG) Melissa Schwartz delivered her classification talk at the July 28, 2016 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Melissa was sponsored for club membership by Mike Gibson in September 2015.
Melissa was born in the Bronx, New York. When she was 8 years old, she moved to suburban New Jersey. Melissa attended public schools in Old Bridge and thereafter attended Muhlenberg College where she graduated with a degree in Business. After Muhlenberg, the economy was not favorable for business graduates. So, Melissa opted to attend law school. Melissa attended Brooklyn Law School and enjoyed her time there despite living in a tiny Cobble Hill studio apartment with a Muhlenberg friend. After graduating, Melissa went back to New Jersey to practice law.
While attending a colleague’s engagement party, she was introduced to Steven Gutterman who would later become her husband. They settled in Somerset, New Jersey and had two children - Matthew and Lauren. Steven had an employment opportunity in the purchasing department of Mack Trucks, which brought Melissa back to the Lehigh Valley. While studying for the bar exam in Pennsylvania, Melissa worked as a paralegal at a medical malpractice defense firm. During this time, she responded to a blind ad from a law practice looking to add a staff attorney. Melissa recognized the firm from the ad because of her friendship with the managing partner’s brother. She was offered the job and joined the personal injury law firm of Scherline & Associates in 1998. Melissa obviously has a passion for helping people and described the open door policy she offers to all in need.
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President's Message, August 2, 2016As our ONLY FUNDRAISER to SERVE HUMANITY approaches, please offer the following raffle (pictured below) to folks you know. Rotarians can sign tickets out on Thursday to sell. If you want to buy a ticket simply reply to the "Trumpet" email and we will make sure we coordinate to get you a ticket. If you're a golfer or looking for marketing opportunities, don't forget to sign up to play in our outing and look at our sponsorship opportunities (ercgolf.com).
 Don't forget to come out to the House and Barn this Wednesday 8/3 from 5:30-7PM for our social hour. Again, appetizers will be provided, but beverages are on you. Spouses and guests are welcome!
This weekend Rotarians will be volunteering their time at the Macungie Memorial Park Wheels of Time event, by working in the food stand. It's a wonderful community event that could not happen without many people coming together.
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President's Message, July 26, 2016SERVING HUMANITY again! Thank you to the Rotarians who were able to help clean up the Emmaus Remembrance Garden this past weekend. The garden is a beautiful location in Emmaus that "offers a place to honor those we love, those we have lost, or to create a memento of a person, time or place" (https://www.emmausremembers.org/). There is even a section of bricks dedicated to past Rotarians.
One of the challenge for the year was to set up a monthly social hour. Ceil & Nancy have done just that by scheduling our first event for Wednesday August 3rd at the House and Barn in Emmaus from 5:30 PM - 7 PM. The event is open to spouses and guests. These events are purely designed to build goodwill and better friendships. We will be looking to change venues each month to get a taste of what our community has to offer. There will be some appetizers provided, but beverages will be at your own expense. Though we want to have fun we still need to be prudent that our funds go to serve humanity.
Over half of the club answered the "Committee Survey". Thank you! If you did not, Members, please click this link to answer, and let us know how you'd like to be involved. This will allow us to make sure you are happy with your roles, plugged in how you'd like to be and overall be even more organized as a club.
Note, this Thursday is the Emmaus Rotary Board Meeting immediately following our regularly stated meeting. Members are welcome to sit in.
- Jeff A. McElhaney Jr.
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President's Message, July 19, 2016SERVING HUMANITY at work! Thank you for those who helped out at the Ben Event by parking cars this past weekend. A very worthy cause that impacts a lot of people locally.
This weekend there is another opportunity. Join us at the Emmaus Remembrance Garden at 8:30 AM for a summer clean up; weeding, rose bush trimming, etc. With enough help it shouldn't take too long! As you can see on the calendar there are many more ways to serve on the horizon. Stay tuned on the monthly evening service activity as well!
Rotarians, I had mentioned at last weeks meeting that I'll be sending out a request to gauge where you'd like to be involved with in the club. I realize many of you are already plugged into a committee, but this is an effort to organize overall information, make sure you are still happy in your roles and see if there is interest in other areas. Keep an eye out for a separate email from me, with a link to a survey.
We have a great meeting coming up on Thursday with our Emmaus Rotary Scholarship Presentation and our special guest Dr. David Gilfoil from DeSales University as our speaker.
Have a great week!
- Jeff A. McElhaney Jr.
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ED YARRISH - EXECUTIVE COACH Ed Yarrish was the speaker at the July 14 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Ed is an executive coach, peer group facilitator and leadership trainer. Much of his work is with Vistage International, a CEO membership organization with groups in 16 countries.
Ed focused much of his presentation around the topic of listening and various techniques he employs in working with executives. When listening to others, Ed reminded us of the power of words. He recalled several stories around this them including a time when he was under extreme pressure to assimilate a lot of facts and materials for one of his business ventures. He said his thoughts were all about the need to “digest” the information. Ultimately, he ended up in the hospital with an extremely elevated level of gastric juices which were literally digesting his own stomach.
Ed also discussed the “gentle art of asking questions” – which he views as the key to understanding others. The key to this approach is engaging the other party’s mind, not using questions that elicit defensiveness or steer the other party in a particular direction.
Ed provided several examples of using large pieces of paper to draw out answers from his clients. This included a lifeline illustration of the key milestones in the client’s life. He also described diagramming key relationships as a means to gain perspective regarding potential solutions to problems affecting others.
Ed ended his presentation with the “value of a caring approach to feedback.” This can take many forms. For example, Ed offers to look focus on the potholes while his clients focus on the stars (or vice versa). He also mentioned mirroring the words used by others to confirm understanding. Ed cited studies which concluded individuals need 4 to 5 times more positive feedback than negative feedback to grow.
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CONGRATULATIONS & BEST WISHES TO JILLIAN ZARNAS Emmaus Rotary Club honored Jillian Zarnas for 11 years of service as the Interact Club coordinator at Emmaus High School at our July 14 meeting. Jillian is taking some time away from teaching as she is expecting the birth of a baby boy this fall.
In addition to flowers and a gift, Sue Straeter and Tony Moyer also presented Jillian with an Interact Club Presidential Citation in recognition of the club’s service activities and student engagement during the 2015-2016 Rotary year.
Congratulations, best wishes and many thanks for everything, Jillian!
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President's Message, 2016-2017 GoalsAs we enter the new year let us remember our primary focus and reason for existence as an organization, "Serving Humanity". It is this simple statement that I would like us to focus on in all that we do. My vision for the Emmaus Rotary year is simple, "Let's serve humanity and have a lot fun while we do it".
At last weeks meeting we openly hashed out some things we are great at, and some areas that we believe we could improve upon as a club. As I've been meeting individually with folks, I've heard the same comments. The great news is that we are a very strong club with an abundance of positives. On the other side, in order to continue to serve more people and thrive into the future, I believe some small tweaks can enhance that. Thus, the five simple challenges below were crafted:
1. Create a monthly service project and collect, serve, or package 12,000+ meals by year end.
2. Create a monthly social hour rotating to different local establishments to build goodwill and better friendships.
3. Revamp the membership onboarding process by August 2016.
4. Create a centennial fundraiser to raise 10k per year over the next ten years in order to make the Emmaus Rotary Scholarship fund sustainable.
5. Increase EREY from $100 per person to $126.50 per person, representing the first donation of $26.50 made to the Rotary Foundation 100 years ago.
These focuses are centered around our reason for existence, helping more people. If executed we will fulfill our mission, have even more fun, build stronger relationships, likely end up growing as a club, become more engaged and set up our future success.
There are many more projects that we will do, but focusing on a smaller number of larger goals can bring some more clarity to the direction of our organization. Each committee will meet or discuss some of the other things that they would like to accomplish throughout the year and report back by July 26th. At that point we will have committee chairs keep the club apprised of these goals and give updates at different weekly meetings. We will also be working on making sure each individual is clear on the organization of the club, how to get involved and what committees they are on.
Throughout the year comments & suggestions are encouraged. Each week there will be a "Suggestion Box" at the meeting for this purpose. You're welcome to email me directly as well.
Everyone of you sacrifice for others as a Rotarian, which is a special thing. Let's have a great year together!
- Jeff McElhaney Jr.
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DISTRICT CHANGEOVER MEETINGDistrict 7430 held its Changeover Meeting on June 27 at Hotel Bethlehem. Outgoing DG Doug Cook presented several awards including four Gold Level Rotary Internatioanl Presidential Citations. Emmaus Rotary Club was one of only four clubs in the District to receive the Gold Level Citation. Gary Rohrbach accepted the award on behalf of President Sue Straeter.
 The evening included a passing-of-the gavel ceremony which included all PDGs in attendance. The gavel passed from Roger Whitcomb (2005-2006), Gerry Long (2007-2008), Bill Weber (2008-2009), Mike McCarthy (2009-2010), Bill Palmer (2010-2011), Tony Jannetta (2012-2013), Frank Romano (2013-2014) and Doug Cook (2015-2016) to newly installed DG Linda Young.
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CLUB CHANGEOVER MEETING Our June 30 club meeting marked the completion of Sue Straeter’s term and the start of Jeff McElhaney’s term as Club President. Sue shared a few remarks at the beginning of the meeting about the accomplishments and growth of the club during her term. Then DG Linda Young administered the oath of office to Jeff and presented him with his President’s pin.
In a ceremony that began fifteen years ago, Past President and AG Gary Rohrbach presided over a passing-of-the-gavel ceremony involving all Past Club Presidents in attendance. The gavel made its way from Wilmer Schultz (1964-1965), Carl Frantz (1967-1968), Carl Gingrich (1982-1983),Gary Rohrbach (1988-1989), PDG Roger Whitcomb (1990-1992), Frank Romano (1995-1996), Larry Delhagen (1999-2000), Chris Wills (2000-2001), Ceil Birdsell (2001-2002), Jim Ritter (2006-2007), Ralph Lewis (2007-2008), Rosenia Devine (2008-2009), J.P. Raynock (2009-2010), Woody Rohrbach (2011-2012), DGN Cindy Hornaman (2012-2013), Bill Erdman (2013-2014) and Sue Straeter (2014-2015) to new President Jeff McElhaney.
PDG’s Jerry Friedman and Roger Whitcomb administered the oath of office to the club officers and members of the board of directors before President Jeff said a few words about the upcoming club year.
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Board Adopts Speaker Guidelines on Controversial or Political TopicsThe board of directors of Emmaus Rotary Club adopted the attached resolution at its June 23, 2016 meeting:
With the guidance of The Rotary International Manual of Procedure and the Emmaus Rotary Club Constitution and in furtherance of the goal to keep political developments under review and seek reliable information through balanced programs, Emmaus Rotary Club hereby adopts the following guidelines for speakers expressing an opinion on any public measure deemed controversial and/or of a political nature:
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KIRSTEN HESS of LET'S PLAY BOOKS! - 2016 BUSINESS RECOGNITION AWARD Emmaus Rotary Club held its annual Business Recognition Award meeting on June 23, 2016.
Past President Mark Erle shared a brief overview of Rotary International and a historical overview of past award winners. The award recognizes local individuals and businesses for ethical business practices and service to the community. Mark turned the podium over to Lexa Shallcross who read her nomination of this year’s award recipient, Kirsten Hess of “Let’s Play Books!”
Kirsten was invited to the podium where she shared information about herself and “Let’s Play Books!” Kirsten moved to the Lehigh Valley from Connecticut about three years ago where she worked in the corporate world and, most recently, at an independent bookstore. Kirsten opened “Let’s Play Books!” in December 2013 with a focus on selling youth-oriented books in a fun setting. In a world where many children are categorized as non-readers at an early age, Kirsten aims to show reading can be a fun activity - not a chore. Kirsten organizes a variety of book-related events, book clubs and author-to-schools programs. While she admitted the store is not yet operating in the black, her goal is donate a percentage of profits to children’s literacy efforts. Kirsten’s engaging spirit and enthusiasm for children really shined through during her presentation. She invited everyone to drop by the store to experience the magic of reading for themselves. The store’s tagline aptly sums up Kirsten’s ambitions for her shop: “Stirring imagination, engaging creativity, and building character, one book at a time.”
Emmaus Rotary is proud to recognize Kirsten Hess and “Let’s Play Books!” with this year’s Business Recognition Award. Congratulations and best wishes for future success!
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Emmaus Rotary Recognition Dinner - June 16 Over 50 Rotarians and guests enjoyed the annual Club Recognition Dinner at Brookside Country Club on June 16, 2016. Mark Erle, Immediate Past President, was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and he did a great job with generous portions of charm and humor.
After introductions, everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner and fellowship around the tables. Jeff McElhaney, President Elect, led off the program with a recap of the numerous club achievements during the year. He was followed by President Sue Straeter who recognized all of the committee chairmen, board members, club officers and several club members-at-large for their acts of service during the 2015-2016 year.
Past District Governor Gerry Friedman presented Sue with a plaque in appreciation of her dedication and leadership while serving as president. Then, Gul Asnani presented the President's Pin to Sue. Sue credits Gul as providing important encouragement to her to become more deeply committed to Rotary. Finally, Past District Governor Roger Whitcomb presented Sue with recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow for the outstanding leadership she provided to the club this year.
  .JPG) Following the presentations, several members offered congratulatory comments to Sue for her role in the successful work of the club during the 2015-2016 year. What a terrific evening of fun, fellowship, recognition and gratitude for a successful year of service in the life of our club!
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CHAD STUCKEY - CLASSIFICATION TALK - JUNE 2, 2016.jpg) Chad Stuckey delivered his classification talk at the June 2, 2016 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Chad was sponsored for club membership by Mark Erle in June 2015.
Chad began his talk describing the variety of locations he lived growing up as the son of a naval aviator. He was born in Texas, but lived in five other locations (including Europe and Asia) before his family finally ended up in the small town of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. Chad graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in communications. He was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and participated in student government and the school newspaper. After graduation, he planned to go to Taiwan with a college buddy, but ended up going alone when his friend took a job in California. Chad spent several years in Taiwan where he enrolled in the National Taiwan Normal University and studied Mandarin.
Chad took a job in Connecticut with Priceline.com upon returning to the United States. This is where he met his wife, Petra, who is originally from the Czech Republic. Following Priceline, Chad worked with Right Management and Rohm and Haas. His stint with Rohm and Haas brought him to the Lehigh Valley. After R&H, Chad worked with TrinaSolar and Sunwize Technologies - both leaders in the solar power industry. He is now employed by Yingli Solar.
Chad provided great perspective to members about solar energy. He shared many of the positive features of this technology, as well as its limitations - particularly in less sunny areas like the Lehigh Valley.
Chad lives in Upper Milford Township with his wife and three daughters.
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RANDY GYORY - June 2, 2016 Randy Gyory was the speaker at the June 2 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Randy is a graduate of Emmaus High School and received a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. After a 33 year career in natural gas distribution with Philadelphia Gas Works, Randy retired in 2012. He now operates a B&B with his wife, works part time at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and serves as the Pennsylvania state coordinator for Citizens Climate Lobby.
Before he began his presentation, Randy recounted his first visit to Emmaus Rotary Club as a young boy in 1964 when he played for a youth baseball team sponsored by the club. He also greeted Bob Bisbing. Randy and Bob's step-son were best friends during high school.
Randy shared information about the work of Citizens Climate Lobby - a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change. CCL's founder, Marshall Saunders, is well known in Rotary circles having spoken at over 150 clubs and 5 RI conventions and receiving Rotary's Distinguished Service Award.
Randy said the goal of his presentation was to inform Rotarians about his organization and its work to reduce fossil fuel emissions as a means of minimizing the negative impacts of climate change. He acknowledged the range of opinions about the causes of climate change - or whether the climate is changing at all. He said that CCL respects all points of view on this issue - especially those who may disagree with its positions. Randy stated that he believes everyone can learn more about these issues and he hoped his presentation would provide members with food for thought - whatever their point of view.
Randy said that CCL believes the most effective way to achieve meaningful progress on the climate issue is passage of effective legislation by the U.S. Congress. He related stories of his time with Philadelphia Gas Works and difficulties the company had in collecting its fees from customers. Randy recalled lobbying the state legislature for changes in applicable laws and the positive effect the new laws had on improving the collections issue.
With that in mind, Randy said that CCL seeks adoption of legislation which will result in reductions of greenhouse gas emissions by 52% below 1990 levels in a way that grows the economy and saves lives. Working with economists and climate scientists, CCL developed a Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal which it believes will achieve these goals. Randy said members of Congress reflect the same range of opinions about climate change. So, in sharing CCL's proposal with federally elected officials, they take the long view by seeking first to build friendly relationships based on respect, appreciation and gratitude for their service. According to Randy, this approach has greatly aided in building the long-term relationships necessary to achieve legislative success.
CCL's signature proposal is a Carbon Fee and Dividend approach which has three components: (1) Collection of a steadily rising carbon fee on fossil fuels, (2) Distribution of 100% of the fees to U.S. households, and (3) Border adjustments to discourage business relocation. CCL believes that giving all of the carbon fee collections back to households — the end users — will enable families to pay for the higher prices of goods and services caused by more expensive fossil fuels. This will allow businesses to pass along their increased costs and maintain market share. However, as the carbon fee increases, businesses will be compelled to become more energy efficient and will convert to low-emissions energy in order to remain competitive. CCL believes these market forces will drive innovations in low-emissions technology, creating new business opportunities to develop, produce, install and service these products - which will, in turn, generate significant job growth. American companies will be able to sell these technology innovations globally. Additionally, American companies will become more efficient with the energy they use, making them more competitive worldwide.
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DR. KIMBERLY LEGG CORBA - MAY 19, 2016 Dr. Kimberly Legg Corba was the speaker at the May 19 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. She shared information about the Direct Primary Care approach to delivering health care. In the Direct Primary Care model, practices do not accept medical insurance. Instead, patients pay monthly membership fees for a broad array of medical services, as well as drastically discounted prices for most prescription drugs and diagnostic tests. Without the documentation burdens and care restrictions imposed by insurance companies, patients have direct access to the physician for a more personal and affordable care experience. The Direct Primary Care approach is growing quickly throughout the country, particularly in the Midwest and Mountain states.
After practicing for 15 years in the Lehigh Valley, Dr. Corba opened the first Direct Primary Care office in the Lehigh Valley in January 2016. She already has over 200 members and is working toward a target membership of 450. Dr. Corba shared examples of savings her practice provides on routine lab tests and an extensive array of prescription drugs. In response to questions from club members, Dr. Corba was clear that the Direct Primary Care model does not replace insurance. Patients are encouraged to carry a high deductible or major medical plan or a plan with a health savings account, thereby ensuring financial help if hospitalization or referral to a specialist is necessary.
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MILLION DOLLAR JOURNEY CELEBRATION DINNER - MAY 17, 2016Over 250 Rotarians and guests - including Rotary International President K. R. "Ravi" Ravindran - gathered at the Valley Forge Sheraton Hotel on May 17 to celebrate District 7430's journey to raise $1 million for The Rotary Foundation Endowment Fund. The journey began as a vision of District Governor Doug Cook in 2014. With the leadership of Million Dollar Journey Chairman PDG Roger Baumann, the generous bequests and gifts of many Rotarians and the extraordinary support of a matching donor, DG Doug's $1 million goal was dramatically surpassed. The final gift total was an amazing $2,529,000!
District 7430 will receive District Designated Funds each year from the earnings generated by these generous bequests and cash gifts. In time, these gifts will generate about $75,000 every year for grants and projects led by District 7430 clubs.
The following persons attended the dinner representing Emmaus Rotary Club: Burt & Donna Duren, Eric Loch, Jim & Dawn Palmquist, and PDG Roger and Roberta Whitcomb. Before the dinner, donors attended a reception with RI President K. R. “Ravi” Ravindran and his wife Vanathy, RI Zone Director Julia Phelps and Past RI Director Mike McGovern who heads polio eradication efforts for RI.
 Burt & Donna Duren were privileged and honored to meet RI President "Ravi" and Vanathy Ravindran at the pre-dinner reception.
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NEW MEMBER INDUCTION CEREMONY - MAY 12 2016 Four new members were inducted into Emmaus Rotary Club at our May 12, 2016 meeting. J.P. Raynock, chairman of the Membership Committee, led the meeting.
J.P. led the club in an a capella version of “R-O-T-A-R-Y” and presented “This is Rotary” – a four minute video which outlined the work of Rotary around the world in feeding the hungry, conquering disease, teaching children and promoting peace.
J.P. then invited each new member’s sponsor to introduce the new members. Bob Goehler introduced Sheryl Hawk (Director of Development at The Hillcrest School), Jerry Friedman introduced Valerie Deneen (a digital publisher, social media leader and head of Inner Child Fun Media, LLC), J.P. introduced Nicole Steirer (manager of the ESSA Bank & Trust branch in Albertis) and Rick Zayaitz introduced Cara Bedford (Sales Representative with Paychex).
Following the introductions, each new member received their new member information packet, membership certificate and Rotary pin from J.P. And, Don Blose presented the new members with their EMMAUS ROTARY WORKS t-shirts.
J.P. then discussed the Four Way Test including historical facts about the concise, twenty-four word test authored by Herbert Taylor in the 1930’s which is used by Rotarians worldwide as a moral code for personal and business relationships. The meeting closed with the club reciting the Four Way Test and the Pledge of Allegiance.
 Left to right: Nicole Steirer, Cara Bedford, Sheryl Hawk & Valerie Deneen
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SHANE PEPE - MAY 5, 2016 Shane Pepe, Emmaus Borough Manager, was the speaker at Emmaus Rotary Club on May 5. Pepe shared an update based on five topical areas: New Municipal Building, Police, Fire, Community Service, and Initiatives & Partnerships.
New Building: The property was acquired from Rodale in 2015. When complete, all borough services will be located within a block of the site which will lower costs and offer better security for borough assets. The cost of the project is projected to be $4.8 million. Pepe said this figure could come down by 30% if certain aspects are completed by borough employees as opposed to outside contractors.
Police: This is a department in transition with the recent retirement of a long-serving chief of police. Many other positions have turned over as well. The hiring process for new officers requires tremendous resources and takes five months due to background checks, training and testing.
Fire: The department has a new chief (formerly served in a similar role in Myrtle Beach, SC). The borough is also in litigation with the fire department union which, if decided adversely to the borough, could require a payment of $2.4 million.
Services: The borough has realized operating cost savings of over $2.25 million and received grants of over $1.3 million since 2012. The borough has focused its capital purchases on more efficient equipment (like leaf removal equipment) and has partnered with neighboring municipalities to share equipment and manpower for major projects (such as sharing a paver with the borough of Macungie, as well as Lower Macungie and Upper Milford townships).
Initiatives & Partnerships: Pepe noted key partnerships with many local organizations including Emmaus Rotary Club, Emmaus Main Street Partnership, East Penn Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Emmaus Lions Club, Emmaus Women’s Club and East Penn School District. He also highlighted the Southwest Lehigh Comprehensive Plan and invited members to attend the May 24 meeting at the Upper Milford Township office (former Kings Highway Elementary School).
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ROTARY FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGE TEAM FROM ARGENTINA - APRIL 28, 2016 At the April 28 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club, members were privileged to meet the twelve members of the incoming Rotary Friendship Exchange team from Argentina. In front of a packed house, we learned about the country of Argentina, the Buenos Aires province and Rotary District 4895.
In addition to four days of activities led by our club, the RFE team was hosted by Doylestown RC for three days and will end the exchange after three days with the Central Bucks RC. The team has enjoyed numerous dinners, an All-American barbecue and outings to many area sites including the Mercer Museum, Pearl S. Buck House, Moravian Tile Works, Old Town Bethlehem, Lancaster, Longwood Gardens and the Historical District in Philadelphia to name a few.
Eight members of the team hail from the city of Escobar which is 50 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires. Escobar is known for its National Flower Festival and is home to the Temaikèn Biosphere, a 178-acre zoo specializing in Argentine wildlife and exotic and threatened species. The Escobar RFE contingent consisted of:
The other four members of the team are from América, a town of 12,000 people located 500 kilometers west of Buenos Aires in the Pampas region. The América RC has just fourteen members, but its work in the community – especially for disabled and mentally handicapped persons – has been tremendous. The América RFE group is comprised of:
It was a privilege to host the team in support of the goal of all Rotary Friendship Exchanges – to advance international understanding and goodwill by building person-to-person connections across national boundaries.
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MICHAELA LUŽICOVÁ – APRIL 21, 2016.JPG) Emmaus Rotary Club members heard from Michaela Lužicová at our April 21 meeting. Michaela - or Miŝka (“Meesh-kah”) to her friends – is a Rotary Youth Exchange Student sponsored by the Allentown-West Rotary Club. She is attending Parkland High School where has made the Honor Roll in every term so far. She has also participated on the Cross Country and Lacrosse teams. Miŝka is from Šaľa, Slovakia, a small town of about 25,000 people located 40 miles east of the capital city of Bratislava. She has one younger brother. Prior to coming to the U.S., Miŝka attended the Spanish Bilingual Grammar School which is located about an hour’s train ride from her home. She also traveled to Spain in 2014 to study the Spanish language. Miŝka shared a great deal of information about her homeland including: · Slovakia gained independence on January 1, 1993 · Slovakia is located in the geographical center of Europe · Slovaks eat five meals a day; the largest is lunch which is preceded and followed by a snack · Several well known NHL players are from Slovakia including Marián Hossa, Marián Gáborík and Zdeno Chára. · Slovakia has the highest number of chateaus and castles per capita of any country in Europe · Slovakia has varied natural landscapes, numerous caves, nine national parks, natural mineral water springs and amazing skiing in the High Tatras Mountains. Becoming an exchange student is something Miŝka has planned for herself since middle school. She views her participation in the Rotary Youth Exchange program as a tremendous opportunity to meet new people, explore new cultures and learn about the world outside Slovakia. Miŝka is considering a career in business or economics and mentioned the University of Pennsylvania as a possible location for her future studies.
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BEN'S SPECIAL VENTURES CHECK PRESENTATION Mimi Ludwig and her daughter Stacy accepted a $500 donation to Ben's Special Ventures from Emmaus Rotary Club Community Service chairman Gary Guthrie at the club's April 14 meeting. BSV's mission is to help young adults with intellectual disabilities learn new work and socialization skills in a work friendly environment. Locally, BSV packages and sells Waggies dog biscuits. Waggies is a non- profit dog treat company that employs persons with intellectual disabilities who take pride in celebrating their work.
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PATRICK MULCAHY - PENNSYLVANIA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Patrick Mulcahy, Producing Artistic Director of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, was the speaker at the April 14 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Since assuming leadership in 2003, Patrick has led PSF’s surge in artistic excellence, financial stability, and national recognition.
Patrick shared information about the Festival's 25 year history during which time over 160 total productions have been staged - including 28 of Shakespeare's 38 plays - plus various musicals, classics, contemporary comedies, dramas and children's shows. PSF is an independent not-for-profit corporation which receives significant support from DeSales University.
The mission of the Festival is "to enrich, inspire, engage, and entertain the widest possible audience through first-rate professional productions of classical and contemporary plays, with a core commitment to the works of Shakespeare and other master dramatists, and through an array of educational outreach and mentorship programs."
The Festival provides educational enhancement, training and internship opportunities to students in the DeSales Theatre program, as well as students from around the country. Professional artists on the DSU Theatre faculty and staff join with leading professionals from across the country each season to form the annual PSF company of actors and artists.
Patrick shared information about the educational focus of PSF including its WillPower Tour (which takes Shakespeare into schools throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware), the PSF Shakespeare Competition (high school students perform scenes from a Shakespeare play of their choosing with winners receiving four-year scholarships to DeSales University ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per year) and Shakespeare for Kids or "S4K" (a high-energy one-hour production designed for children ages 4 to 10 to actively experience Shakespeare’s vibrant language and characters).
Patrick gave an overview of the plays to be staged this summer which include Julius Caeser, The Taming of the Shrew, Love's Labour's Lost, West Side Story, Blithe Spirit and The Little Mermaid. He also highlighted the success of several actors who have performed in the past in PSF productions.
Patrick ended his presentation with a quote from a young audience member for whom experiencing a Shakespeare performance was a life-changing event.
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Zack Baia - LCTI Student of the Month At the April 7 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club, we heard from Zachary Baia, the Student of the Month from Lehigh Career & Technical Institute.
Zach is a student in the Electrical Technology program at LCTI where he is studying to be an electrician. With his parents also in attendance, Zach reported on a typical school day which includes course work in English, Math, Physics and other subjects. In the afternoons, Zach works as an intern with Wetzel Enterprises in Macungie on residential and commercial electrical projects. Zack hopes to work with a public utility (perhaps PP&L) in the future.
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EMMAUS ROTARY CLUB ASSEMBLY - APRIL 7, 2016President Sue Straeter led her final Club Assembly at the April 7 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. After Sue’s overview, members heard reports from several committee chairs on the progress made toward goals set for the 2015-2016 Rotary year. It was terrific to hear about the work of Club members and plans to do even more. Click here for all of the details.
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Rotary Leadership Institute - New Graduate Burt Duren completed Level III at the Rotary Leadership Institute held at Delaware Community College in Media PA on April 2. He received his graduation certificate and pin along with nine other local Rotarians.
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ROTARY FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGE TO WALES (DISTRICT 1150)At the March 31 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club, members heard a report from three of the participants in the September 2015 Rotary Friendship Exchange to Wales.
Cindy Hornaman provided an overview of what a Rotary Friendship Exchange is all about, as well as some information about the country of Wales – including several words and place names in the Welsh language which is not at all intuitive to do for English speakers.
.JPG) Burt Duren shared highlights from the southwestern part of Wales including the team’s visits to Swansea – hometown of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, Laugharne – site of a pre-Norman invasion castle and Thomas’ home and writing shed, and Llanelli – where the team gave two presentations and visited several interesting sites including the fabulous Aberglasney House & Gardens and the Kidwelly area. During this part of the trip, the team enjoyed a lunch with District 1150 Governor Chris Williams.
.jpg) District 7430 RFE Team at Dylan Thomas statue in Swansea
 Aberglasney House and Gardens near Llanelli
Cindy described the team’s visit to the Dolgellau area in the northern part of Wales. This portion of the trip included visits to the Centre for Advanced Technology in Corris, Caernarfon Castle (where the Prince of Wales is crowned), the National Slate Museum in Llanberis and several beautiful drives through the mountains in Snowdonia National Park. Many of the early Quakers in Pennsylvania emigrated from the Dolgellau area. So, the local Rotarians arranged for a visit to the local Quaker meeting house and a walk on a portion of the Quaker Trail. The team also heard a fascinating presentation on the local Quakers from the headmaster of the local school at a meeting of one of the two Dolgellau area Rotary clubs.
.jpg) Caernafon Castle
 Snowdonia National Park
Finally, Eileen Prokop spoke about Cardiff, the last area visited by the team. Highlights included visits to Cardiff Castle - which included a hearty dinner and show by Welsh singers, the Big Pit National Mining Museum - where the team descended 300 feet underground to tour a former coal mine, and the Guardian sculpture in Abertillery, a 66 ft tall memorial to the 45 miners that died in the Six Bells mine disaster in 1960. During this portion of the trip, the team also visited the Penderyn distillery where fine single malt Welsh whisky is produced and St. Fagans National History Museum – a 100-acre site where over forty buildings from various periods in Welsh history have been reconstructed.
 Cardiff Castle
 Reconstructed building at St. Fagans National History Museum
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MATT PROVENCE - LEHIGH VALLEY IRONPIGS Matt Provence was the speaker at the March 17 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club.
Matt is the Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He began his broadcasting career as an intern for the New York Yankees Radio team in 1995. Since then he has accumulated 19 seasons in minor league baseball including stints with the Norwich Navigators, Lynchburg Hillcats and Daytona Cubs.
Including his time here in the Lehigh Valley as the "Voice of the IronPigs," Matt has called over 1200 minor league baseball games. He hosts the pre-game show on all IronPigs TV broadcasts. In his spare time, Matt is the play-by-play radio voice for the men’s and women’s basketball programs at the New Jersey Institute of Technology – a Division I school in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Matt’s presentation focused on the experience that fans enjoy when attending an IronPigs game at Coca-Cola Park. In addition to competitive baseball, the franchise focuses on entertaining its fans with activities between innings, great food and seemingly endless promotions. Matt also shared the franchise’s creative marketing ideas which usually involve bacon and other pork products.
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JASON BOWEN - FOUR-WAY TEST SPEECH CONTEST.JPG) We were privileged to have Jason Bowen at our club meeting on March 17. Jason is the winner of the Four-Way Test Speech Contest at Emmaus High School. He participated in the Regional Contest on March 19.
Jason's excellent speech focused on the effects of drug and alcohol abuse on families. Citing the experience of his own family, Jason employed each prong of the Four-Way Test to support his thesis on the negative impact of substance abuse on spouses and children.
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DENISE SMITH - STATE THEATRE Denise Smith, Vice President of Development for the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton was our speaker on March 10. Denise joined the State Theatre in 2006 after a career in newspaper advertising and marketing. Denise is responsible for management and growth of the membership program, sponsorships, grants, events and other activities that engage the community and help sustain the non-profit theatre.
Denise shared the history of the theatre from its construction in 1879 through its various iterations as a vaudeville theatre, a movie house and performing arts theatre. By the late 1970’s, the theatre had changed hands many times and was in a horrible state of disrepair. In 1981, Andy Daub (from the Brown-Daub auto dealerships) organized a community group to purchase the theatre for just $25,000 with the goal of restoring it to its past glory. Over the last thirty-five years, individuals and businesses in the community provided major financial support to the theatre to fund restoration projects and acquisitions of adjacent properties. The result is a beautiful theatre with a robust schedule of concerts, plays and other performances throughout the year. The steady stream theatre patrons has helped revive downtown Easton with a number of new restaurants and shops.
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DOUG HODGES - BATTLE OF MIDWAY.JPG) Doug Hodges was the speaker at the March 3 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. His topic was the Battle of Midway – turning point of World War II in the Pacific.
Doug is a former Navy aviator and is currently a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones in Lancaster. He has a keen interest in military history – particularly naval history which was evident from all of the information he shared with us.
Doug described the long odds that US forces faced in the Pacific after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and subsequent losses in Guam and Corregidor. The Japanese had far more ships than the US. And, in addition to superior numbers in airplanes, the Japanese planes were faster and more maneuverable than US planes giving the enemy a
decided edge in aerial combat.
Doug described the very secure method used by the Japanese to send coded messages. Without the aid of computers, the US military managed to break the Japanese code on ten to fifteen percent of all messages. With this limited information, the intelligence officer successfully predicted the time, direction and distance from which the Japanese would attack Midway Island within five minutes, five radials and five miles. With this intelligence advantage and unparalleled bravery by American sailors, pilots and marines, the outgunned US forces handed the Japanese a pivotal defeat in the battle for the Pacific.
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JANET LITTLE - LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF LEHIGH VALLEYJanet Little, President of the League of Women Voters of the Lehigh Valley, was the speaker at the February 25 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Jan explained that the League is a non-partisan political organization whose purpose is to promote political responsibility through active and informed participation of citizens. Jan described the League’s efforts in voter registration at local universities and colleges, as well as its publication of its Government Directory. The Directory provides names, addresses and contact information for all Federal, State and local government officials, as well as an Election Calendar and details of Registration and Voting Regulations.
In response to a question, Jan provided insights on the April 26 Pennsylvania presidential primary including the fact that those registered as Independents are not permitted to vast a vote for candidates in either the Republican or Democratic primaries. If someone wishes to participate in either party’s primary, they must register their change in party registration at least thirty days prior to the primary.
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BEVERLY BRADLEY - COPS 'N' KIDS LITERACY PROGRAMBeverly Bradley was the speaker at the February 18 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Beverly is president of the Bethlehem club of Quota International - an organization which seeks to empower and be of service to deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired individuals, as well as disadvantaged women and children. After becoming a member of Quota, Beverly learned about their international literacy initiative called Cops 'N' Kids - a program that brings the gift of reading to children and encourages positive relationships between children and police. Beverly spearheaded efforts to establish a similar program in the Lehigh Valley, but expanded the mission of the program to connect kids to the entire community through literacy.
During her talk, Beverly shared several anecdotes highlighting the significant impact that an adult can have on a child's life - simply by sharing a small part of themselves. She related her experience of inviting former Bethlehem mayor John Callahan to visit Donegan Elementary School, a school located in a particularly impoverished area of the city, to read to the children. Beverly explained how she encouraged Callahan to shake hands with and give a card with a "good luck" message to each of the 550 students. Most of the children didn't know who the mayor was, but they knew he was someone important who had taken time to speak to each one of them. Callahan told Beverly that his day at Donegan was one of the best days of his life.
Beverly also spoke of students at Southern Lehigh who contacted her to do a book drive for children in Africa. Beverly connected the students with children at Roosevelt Elementary, a school where 98% of the students live in poverty. Despite being only a short distance away, the Southern Lehigh students had no idea that so many local kids were living in such need. After several weeks of tutoring and reading to the Roosevelt kids, the Southern Lehigh students realized that the need in our own area was significant and decided to focus their efforts here at home, rather than in Africa.
With over 700,000 books distributed to kids in our area thus far, the local Cops 'N' Kids program has changed the future for thousands of local children and demonstrated to every kid who received a book that they are truly valued by their community.
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JENN'S HOUSE CHECK PRESENTATIONCommunity Service Committee Chairman Gary Guthrie presented Patricia and Richard Dillman with a check for $500.00 at the February 11 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. These funds were raised through concession sales and other donations at the Cyclocross event at Camp Olympic in December 2015. Jenn's House provides lodging for patients and families traveling to the Lehigh Valley for medical, surgery, diagnostic, outpatient and emergency services or doctor visits in the hospitals and health care facilities in our area.
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PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS RECOGNIZEDAt the February 11 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club, twelve members received recognition as Paul Harris Fellows for their giving to the Rotary Foundation - four for the first time. International/Foundation Committee Co-Chairs Cindy Hornaman and Bill Erdman conducted this portion of the meeting which included video clips of Paul Harris himself, as well as a video highlighting the smiles of those who have benefited from the work of the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations to all of the Paul Harris Fellows for your gifts to the Rotary Foundation. Your generosity is a truly Gift to the World! Thank you!
  Paul Harris Fellows (left to right): John Zettlemoyer (PH+1), Burt Duren (PH+3), Lexa Shallcross (PH+3), John Cleveland (PH+1), Mike Waddell (PH), Nelly Kabiru (PH), Joe Pugliese (PH), Dale Dries (PH+4), Gordon Reese (PH) and Cindy Hornaman (PH+2). Not picutured: Steve Auvil (PH+8), Chuck Walkup (PH+1).
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EMMAUS ROTARY VISITS EMMAUS HIGH SCHOOL INTERACT CLUBEmmaus Rotarian and Youth committee chair Dr. Anthony Moyer led the Emmaus Rotary meeting this past Thursday for the annual joint meeting with the Emmaus High School Interact Club. ERC members and Interact students enjoyed pizza, salad and beverages provided by Mike Lahanas and Mike Gibson prior to the program.
The thriving Interact Club has grown to over 100 students who complete more than twenty plus service activities and projects each year. They embody service above self and are a refreshing glimpse at a bright future. Below you will find photos walking you through the evening.
 Dr. Anthony Moyer turns the microphone over to Larry Delhagen for a special Paul Harris presentation and to highlight Camp Neidig.
 Rotarian & past Paul Harris Award winner Larry Delhagen awards the Emmaus Interact's dedicated advsior & teacher, Mrs. Jillian Zarnas, with a Paul Harris Fellow award.
 Emmaus Interact Vice President Liam speaks to Emmaus Rotarians about their many projects as three other Interact chairs look on.
 Emmaus High School Science and Architecture teachers explain their exciting Observatory project and seek Roatarian support. The observatory was designed and is being built by the high school students to house a powerful telescope that had been donated to the school. The project has been completely funded through community support and is approaching final funding. When complete students will be able to access and control the telescope from their computers to search the through out the galaxy.
 Rotarian Attorney Jim Ritter assists with dividing donated clothing items for local families in need.
 Past President Bill Erdman assists Interact students in creating snack bags for the Allentown Rescue Mission.
 Interact students, including Allentown West Rotary exchange student. Miska Luzicova, from Slovakia (left front), create Valentines for individuals in nursing homes that may not have family nearby. Eileen Prokop and Lexa Shallcross created the station and provided materials.
 Newly appointed Area One Assistant Governor, Gary Rohrbach finishes packing clothing with Interact Junior Sandhya Sriram and Rotary Youth Exchange student, Miska Luzicova. Thank you to Emmaus Rotarians who donated clothing, snacks and time for the evening.
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NEW MEMBER INDUCTION CEREMONY - JAN 21 2016Four new members were inducted into Emmaus Rotary Club at our January 21, 2016 meeting. J.P. Raynock led the meeting and was assisted by several Rotarians from the Membership Committee.
 Membership Committee chairman J.P. Raynock leads the New Member Induction Meeting
After leading the club in singing R-O-T-A-R-Y, J.P. invited each new member’s sponsor to introduce the new members. Bob Goehler introduced Sheryl Hawk (in absentia), Mike Gibson introduced Melissa Schwartz and Bob Rust introduced both Kris DePaolo and Lisa Spradlin. Other than Sheryl (who was unable to attend due to a work conflict), each new member took a moment to express their delight to be a part of the club and their desire to serve the community and the world as Rotarians.
 (Left to right): Melissa Schwartz and her sponsor Mike Gibson, Bob Goehler (sponsor of Sheryl Hawk), Kris DePaolo & Lisa Spradlin with their sponsor, Bob Rust
Following the introductions, each new member received a new member information packet from Bob Rust, an Emmaus Rotary Club t-shirt from Don Blose, and a membership certificate and Rotary pin from Steve Gould.
As part of a new program instituted in 2015 from Rotary International, J.P. presented New Sponsor Recognition pins to the following Rotarians for sponsoring new members: Mark Erle (Chad Stuckey), Steve Gould (Peter Adams), Ceil Birdsell (Nancy Berlin), Ginny Wingard (Moses Ajamu), Bob Goehler (Sheryl Hawk), Mike Gibson (Melissa Schwartz) and Bob Rust (Kris DePaolo and Lisa Spradlin).
 Five Emmaus Rotarians who received New Member Sponsor recognition pins: (Left to right) Mark Erle, Bob Rust, Bob Goehler, Steve Gould & Ceil Birdsell
Chad Stuckey closed the meeting by leading the club in reciting the Four Way Test.
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Susan Davis life's work to mitigate provertySusan Davis and her work to Mitigate poverty around the world
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LORI ROTH - CLASSIFICATION TALK In a very winsome Classification Talk on January 14, Lori Roth shared her journey from her days at Emmaus High School to her present position as the manager of the BB&T location in Emmaus.
Lori’s mother told her that she should take the business curriculum at Emmaus High School so she could become a secretary. Her success in this program led to her first job as an assistant to the head of the private banking department at a downtown Allentown bank. Lori’s family was so concerned about her personal safety that her father accompanied her on the bus and walked her to and from her office door every day.
While working full time, Lori took classes at LCCC and Muhlenberg College for eight years before earning her degree. At this point, Lori considered leaving banking to become a teacher. But, an insightful colleague at the bank suggested she become a branch manager where she could satisfy her teaching instinct by training employees and educating clients every day. She took her colleague’s advice and soon became a branch manager in Wescosville -- despite the fact Lori hates math and doesn’t like to touch money. Lori has survived several bank acquisitions and mergers (and a brief period working in mortgage banking) culminating with her current position at BB&T.
Lori believes an employer’s values are important. She mentioned a previous boss who said “nice is overrated” – a maxim Lori rejected. By contrast, Lori is thrilled that the corporate values of BB&T are strong.
Feeling safe in their work situations, Lori and her husband were discussing what each wanted one day - He wanted a new Lexus; Lori wanted a baby. That discussion led to the idea of adoption and ultimately to becoming foster parents. One day, Lori received a call about a two-year old boy who was being taken from an unsafe home situation. She was given 15 minutes to decide whether to take the child or not. In what Lori said was the best decision she ever made, she and her husband took the young boy into their home. They then endured a very emotional roller coaster ride in the foster parent system before adopting the boy when he was 2 ½ years old. He is now a first grader in the Parkland School District and the joy of his parents’ lives.
Lori is excited to be a part of Rotary where she is eager to make a difference in our local community.
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EMMAUS ROTARY CLUB ASSEMBLY - JANUARY 7, 2016The Emmaus Rotary Club has four Club Assemblies during each Rotary Year (July 1 – June 30). We celebrated the first meeting of January 2016 with our third Club Assembly program for this Rotary Year.
The purpose of the Assembly was to give Committee Chairs an opportunity to share their accomplishments and future plans. Our committees are the heart and workhorses of ERC. We thank them for outstanding service.
A list of committee accomplishments for the 2015-16 year are as follows:
Public Relations:
Community Service-Literacy/Donations
Fellowship:
Fundraising:
Membership:
Foundation/International:
Youth:
Club members are encouraged to register for MyRotary on the www.rotary.org website. If you need assistance, Mark Erle, Burt Duren or Jeff McElhaney will help. It’s an easy way to broaden our club’s connections around the world by accessing other Rotary links and member benefits, joining interest groups, viewing progress reports, and taking advantage of available programs.
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AUTUMN SHOOK - LCTI STUDENT OF THE MONTHEmmaus Rotary Club members heard from Autumn Shook, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute Student of the Month, at our January 7 meeting. Autumn shared some of her learning experiences in the health care curriculum at LCTI, as well as her aspirations to earn a nursing degree. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors, Autumn!
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PAT BRESLIN - GO THE EXTRA MILEPat Breslin was our guest speaker this past week at Emmaus Rotary. Pat is a graduate of Allegheny College where he majored in history and communications and played soccer. He played a couple years of pro-soccer after college. Today, Pat has his own internet marketing company where he is a member of the largest business owners association in America. He also has an organization where he speaks at colleges, schools, businesses and civic organizations on personal and professional topics. At our meeting, Pat shared some key points for anyone to keep in mind to "Go the Extra Mile" in life.
Coming from a strict upbringing, Pat considered becoming a lawyer. With the guidance of his grandmother pointing out his strong and charismatic personality, Pat went on to become a motivational speaker. Now, his focus is on professional development skills for high school and college students.
Pat shared three things for all of us to keep in mind in life in order to "Go the Extra Mile." These three things can be applied in our everyday interactions and can make a big difference in building strong relationships.
1. During conversation with someone, use their name
2. Genuinely compliment other people
3. Say thank you
These three simple principles will help you to get to know people better, build "goodwill and better friendships," and help you and the other party feel better. Pat highlighted the old saying: "if you help enough people get what they want, you'll often get what you want."
Pat also mentioned the book he co-authored Garry Cobb (former NFL linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles): Don't Be Clueless: 7 Keys to Life in the Real World. The book is aimed at high school children and young adults. Click here to learn more about the book.
Thank you, Pat, for being our guest at Emmaus Rotary.
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VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE At our meeting on November 12, Rotarian J.P Raynock led the Emmaus Rotary Club in a tribute to all of our veterans. Thank you to the following Emmaus Rotarians for serving our great country; Bob Bisbing, Geoff Boyer, Tom Devine, Bill Erdman, Mark Erle, Carl Frantz, Carl Gingrich, Bob Halsey, Donald Heller, Fred Hermann, Ralph Lewis, Jim Palmquist, Bob Pfander, Pete Roberts, Stewart Rockwell, Wilmer Schultz, Roger Whitcomb, Larry Wingard, and John Zettlemoyer.
For those who were unable to attend, the program included the following elements:
Singing of the National Anthem by club members
"We are Americans" click here for Video based on Ronald Reagan's first inaugural address.
2015 Veterans Day Proclamation (read by Cindy Hornaman) - click here to read
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (read by Bob Rust) - click here for details
Singing of all five Armed Forces Anthems by club members - click here for lyrics
Prayer of St Francis (read by Lexa Shallcross)
 Singing of God Bless America by club members
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A NIGHT AT THE PHANTOMS HOCKEY GAME
 Last Friday night, November 6th, members of the Emmaus Rotary Club enjoyed an evening at the PPL Center to watch the Lehigh Valley Phantoms versus the Hershey Bears Hockey game. Thank you to Nancy Berlin, Ceil Birdsell and the Fellowship Committee for arranging seating in the Met Life Party Deck area.
 Sheryl Hawk was selected as a contestant to participate in a televised quiz. ERC members were featured on the overhead TV screen. It was a great evening for all who attended, even though the Bears won 4-2!
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Think Tuna Please bring canned tuna to Rotary on Thursday!
We are going to collect tuna until November 12th. We have approximately 375 cans to date. We are delivering tuna on Monday November 16th. On Tuesday the 17th we will be helping bag the food items at Holy Spirit Church. If you are interested in helping bag groceries contact Eileen or Lexa. |
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Macungie Police Department receives booklets  On Friday, October 30th, Rotarians Ginny Wingard, Larry Wingard, and Sue Straeter presented Educational Activities Booklets and crayons to the Macungie Police Department. At the request of the Literacy Committee, Emmaus Rotary purchased 600 of each of two booklets and 1200 sets of crayons for area police departments to use as safety-teaching tools in local schools and community events. The Emmaus Police chose "Let's Learn About Police Officers" for Pre-K and "Let's Visit the Police Department for Grades 1-3. The books are imprinted with a message identifying ERC as the sponsor.
Macungie Officer Todd Bernhard and Chief of Police, Edward Harry, Jr. were pleased with the booklets. Chief Harry said that he will be using the booklets on his regular visits to elementary schools in the area.
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MOST SUCCESSFUL ERC GOLF TOURNEY EVEROn Monday September 15, one hundred fourteen golfers descended on Brookside Country Club to participate in the Emmaus Rotary Club's 8th Annual Golf Tournament. For the first time we had a full-on event sponsor: The Vinart Dealerships of Lehigh Valley Acura, Honda and Hyundai. Vinart's support was incredible and its owner, Andy Wright, joined us to kick off the tournament. In addition to our event sponsor, we had eight birdie sponsors, nine eagle sponsors, three beverage sponsors, two lunch sponsors and over fifty hole sponsors. Tt was an incredible day that all came together through the tireless effort put forth by our fearless co-leaders, Steve Gould and John Zayaitz, along with the golf committee and amazing support from the club membership.
Coordination and execution of this event could not happen without a strong committee. Steve and John did a great job leading the effort. We also want to give a HUGE thank you to the team of Mario Cozzubbo, Jim Lett, Bob Rust, Dave Roehrig, Mike Gibson, Don Blose, Mike Lahanas, Joe Pugliese, Rick Zayaitz, Bryce Ruggieri, Rory King and Jeff McElhaney. For those who sponsored the event or supported the effort in any way, we thank you, as well.
Months of planning led to a beautiful day in which we raised approximately $44,000 gross. Our net profit is expected to exceed $25,000 - making this event one of the most successful fund raisers in club history. As we budget this money for the 2016 - 2017 Rotary year, we can be confident that these efforts will allow our club to make a significant difference in the lives of those in need in our community and around the world.
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BRITTNEY PARKER - FREE ENTERPRISEBrittney Parker, the Community Liaison for the Commonwealth Foundation, was the speaker at the October 15 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Brittney was kind enough to drive all the way from Harrisburg to share her thoughts on how free enterprise will drive Pennsylvania into the future. Though her opinions clearly leaned towards one side of the political aisle, she did a fantastic job presenting and challenged all of us to think through our personal views.
Raised in central Pennsylvania, Brittney graduated with a B.A. in Middle East Studies from George Washington University. After graduation, she became the Communications Manager for CampusReform.org. Before joining Commonwealth, Brittney worked as the Youth Projects Manager and then the Virginia Field Director for The LIBRE Initiative - an organization that promotes economic freedom to the U.S. Hispanic community.
Brittney has spoken at events like RightOnline, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference and was named the 2015 Great Communicator of the year by Think Freely Media. She was named one of Huffington Post’s “Top 50 Latino Voices to Follow on Twitter” and has been published in outlets such as the Patriot News, The Guardian, NBC Latino and The Daily Caller.
To illustrate her views on the power of free enterprise, Brittney discussed the controversial issues of pension reform, school choice and liquor control laws. Raised in a single family home in a difficult Harrisburg neighborhood, Brittney holds on to values of hard work and has a passion to promote policies she believes will make Pennsylvanians' lives better. No matter what your personal opinion may be, you can certainly appreciate her passion and challenge to carefully consider your personal views on public matters before committing your support.
 Brittney Parker with Emmaus Rotarian Fred Hermann
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EMMAUS ROTARY CLUB ASSEMBLY - OCTOBER 8, 2015President Sue Straeter ran out of time at the Club Assembly held on October 8 to review the results of the club survey completed by ERC members last month. In last week's Trumpet, there was a problem with the link to Sue's PowerPoint presentation which included the survey results. Please click here if you would like to view the survey results which appear on pages 5 through 12 of the document.
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DARIA GREB - LCTI STUDENT OF THE MONTHEmmaus Rotary Club Education Committee Chair Anthony Moyer introduced our Lehigh Career & Technical Institute student of the month, Daria Greb. Daria is in the commercial baking program at LCTI and is a level four baker. She is participating in a work study program as a cake decorator with the Emmaus Bakery. She hopes to further develop her skills at the Culinary Institute of America and open a bakery one day with her father Scott. Daria's parents, Scott and Carrie Greb, were in attendance for her presentation. Congratulations Daria and we wish you much success in the future.
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COMMUNITY PARTNERS 4 KIDS - CHILD SAFETYExecutive Director of Community Partners 4 Kids, Clay Smith, and Vice President of Community Outreach, Joe Facchiano discussed the somber, but important topic of child abduction. There are 832 child abductions per day in the United States. Over 100,000 of the abductions lead to trafficking. Though these numbers include many custodial cases (family related), there are approximately 54,000 non-custodial (strangers) abduction cases. The terribly sad fact is that 31% of all abductions lead to sexual abuse with both male and female kids. Most abductions happen within one quarter mile of home.
Community Partners 4 Kids educates parents about these real dangers, provides child safety ID kits, and provides strategies to prevent abductions. They have created the Child Safety Handbook to assist in educating families. The handbook teaches parents about warning signs regarding their child's activities, friends and places they like to go. It also teaches children to recognize high risk situations and includes tactics to avoid an abduction.
Though this can be a difficult topic to discuss, Clay and Joe encouraged us to make sure we have these conversations with our kids and grandkids. Education and communication on the subject leads to fewer abductions. For more information on the organization or for a copy of the Handbook visit www.CP4kids.org.
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NOV 6 - NIGHT AT THE PHANTOMS ERC FELLOWSHIP EVENT
"Night At The Phantoms"
Friday November 6 vs. Hershey at 7:05 PM New Concourse Party Area Cost - $28 per person (includes $5 food and beverage credit) 18 seats available - First come, first served Give your payments to Nancy Berlin |
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PUBLIC AWARENESS OF ROTARY The Emmaus Rotary Club tent was located in a prime spot on the Emmaus Triangle for the Fifth Annual Farewell to Summer Festival on Saturday September 19. ERC was proud to participate in this event and provide information about how the club serves the community.
Students from our Interact Club helped man the table as we passed out Emmaus Rotary bracelets, brochures, painted purple pinkies and explained our efforts in the East Penn area and in the world. We enjoyed being part of the festive gathering, eating great food, decorating cupcakes and meeting Ronald McDonald!
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Feed the HungryBring cans of Tuna to Rotary Meetings!
Our monthly Emmaus Food Pantry Collection will be at the October 8th meeting.
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RODALE INSTITUTE - GARY MILLSPAUGHGary Millspaugh, Senior Director of Development for Rodale Institute, visited Emmaus Rotary this past Thursday. Gary has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Kutztown University, a Bachelor degree from Elmira College in New York, and attended Kent School in Kent, Connecticut. He shared some enlightening facts about organic gardening and foods. The Rodale Institute's mission states, "Through organic leadership we improve the health and well-being of people and the planet."
 Gary discussed how our general farming practices seek to generate the most amount of food for the lowest cost. This effort has led to reduced nutritional value and increased toxicity of our food. Mainstream farming uses an incredible amount of pesticides and genetically modified seeds. Many of the chemicals which were common in the 1970's, such as DDT, have since been banned. In fact, from 1996 to 2006, the EPA banned 270 other pesticides from commercial use due to their harmful effect on humans.
The ultimate point is that current mainstream farming practices continue to be a long term health concern to humans. Thus, the Rodale Institute is seeking ways to scale organic farming methods to improve as many people's health as possible. Gary explained the four cornerstones of organic farming.
1. Compost
2. Cover Crops planted and turned over into the soil
3. Crop rotation
4. Reducing the amount of plowing and tilling
Gary explained that, with proper planning, use of natural items and the power of Mother Nature, organic farming has the ability to overtake unsafe farming practices. Organic cooperates with nature, whereas production farming often competes with nature. It may take more time, but the public is starting to listen to the benefits of organic seeing through the propaganda against it. The more supply that is produced, prices of organic foods should naturally decrease over time.
Food labeled "USDA organic" is the only food that is truly chemical free. Gary warned us to beware of GMO, CNG, sustainable and natural on food labels. He used a video to illustrate how non-organic food companies are riding on the coat tails of actual USDA organic foods. Citing the study of over 200 experts, Gary suggested that if you are able, buy and eat organic foods for your own well being.
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Membership & Perfect AttendanceLast week Chad Stuckey, who has been a member of our club since June, was officially inducted into the Emmaus Rotary family. Immediate past president Mark Erle sponsored Chad. They grew to know each other as they have children around the same age and they are neighbors. Chad and his family live in Macungie. His vocation is in the solar power industry. He will have an opportunity to present his classification talk with in the next year. Welcome to Emmaus Rotary once again Chad!
 In addition to celebrating our new member, J.P. Raynock led our annual ceremony of perfect attendance. This is an accomplishment that takes significant dedication and sacrifice to Rotary and thus its' ideals, "service above self". Earning perfect attendance for the first time in 2014 - 2015 were Mark Erle and Burt Duren. For the second year in a row, Fred Hermann earned the award. Jim Palmquist accomplished his ninth year followed by Ralph Lewis hitting ten perfect years. Beyond the impressive group that's been mentioned we jump to 43 years of 100% attendance by our sergeant at arms, Dale Dries. Incredibly enough, one more Emmaus Rotarian has a longer streak at 63 year. Truman was president and Queen Elizabeth II had just taken the thrown at that time. Wilmer Schultz keeps his incredible streak going with SIXTY THREE years of perfect attendance as a Rotarian. Congratulations!
 Also recognized this past week were Emmaus Rotarians who sponsored a new member in 2014. Ginny Wingard, Ceil Birdsell, and Steve Gould are pictured below receiving their pins. Thank you for your dedication to share Rotary with others.
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NOVEMBER 12 IS THE LAST DAY FOR TUNA COLLECTION This Thursday, November 12, is the final day ERC will be collecting cans of tuna for inclusion in Thanksgiving food baskets for the needy. Thanks to the generosity of ERC members, approximately 375 cans have been donated so far.
We will deliver all of the tuna cans to The Angel Network on Monday November 16. And, on Tuesday November 17, we will assist with bagging the food items at the Holy Spirit Church. If you are interested in helping on November 17, please contact Eileen Prokop or Lexa Shallcross.
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TUNA x 300 Please bring cans of tuna to Rotary meetings! The Angel Network provides school supplies, clothing and food to needy East Penn students. Three hundred cans of tuna are needed for food baskets that will be picked up by families in November. Alleviating hunger is a theme for our District 7430 this year. The collection deadline is November 12, 2015. |
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ANGEL NETWORK - SCHOOL SUPPLIES DELIVERYEmmaus Rotarians delivered boxes of school supplies to Emmaus High School on Monday, August 24. Laurie Fine, coordinator of the Angel Network deliveries, said, “We are very excited about your collection. We depleted our supplies at the back-to-school event and still have students that need backpacks and supplies. This will help restock our resource closet.” When asked, the school counselors reported a great need for food items. Three-hundred cans of tuna are needed for food baskets that will be picked up by needy families in November. Hunger is a theme for our Rotary District this year. Please bring cans of tuna to Rotary meetings. The collection deadline is November 12, 2015.
More information about the East Penn Angel Network and how we can help pack food baskets will appear in future newsletters.
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DISTRICT GOVERNOR DOUG COOK'S VISITDoug Cook, District 7430 Governor for 2015-2016, visited Emmaus Rotary this past Thursday. Doug's start in Rotary was back in 1990 as the founding president of the Kennebunk Rotary Club in Maine. After Doug and his wife Mary moved to Collegeville, PA in 1999, he went on to be the president of that club.
Doug highlighted the theme of Rotary this year: "Be a Gift to the World." He is recommending to club presidents that they focus on four things this year: membership, community service, the Foundation and having fun. He is also encouraging clubs to focus service projects on alleviating hunger. This ties right in to our community service efforts and some projects Emmaus has completed and continues to assist with: monthly food bank collection, Angel Network and Allentown Rescue Mission.
On the point of membership, Doug suggested that Rotarians should share their stories with potential members and wear their pin where ever they go. The pin is a great way to spark conversation about Rotary with others and to share your own story about why Rotary is special to you. This can be a very effective way to engage prospective members.
The Foundation is a big focus for the district. Doug initiated a challenge for our district to raise $1 million for the Rotary Foundation Endowment. This effort was dubbed "The Million Dollar Journey." With the help of an anonymous donor who agreed to match gifts on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to $1 million, the MDJ has already raised $2.1 million. The earnings on these funds will be available to our district for district matching grants every year in perpetuity. Assuming a 4% return on assets, the MJD will provide over $80,000 to clubs for projects every year! To those who have participated, THANK YOU!
When it comes to fun, our club doesn't seem to have trouble finding it. However, it is always a good reminder to value the relationships that we build with fellow Rotarians while serving so many in need. Another chance to expand your "fun zone" could be at the district conference at the Inn at Pocono Manor from April 8 - 10, 2016. You can register by visiting www.whythecow.com.
Click Here to read Doug's full bio.
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EMMAUS ROTARY CLUB SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS Pictured above from left to right are Marne Wigfield & Lauren Gutterman, recipients of Emmaus Rotary Club's Scholarship Awards for 2015.
Marne attended Lehigh Career & Technical Institute in the emerging health program. She has chosen to attend Moravian College and major in Nursing with a focus on surgery or women's health. She earned 8 college credits through LCTI before attending her first semester.
Lauren, who graduated from Emmaus High School, will be attending the University of Pittsburgh in the fall. Her focus will be on communications science in an effort to become a speech therapist. During high school, Lauren attended Camp Neidig.
Congratulations to this year's Scholarship Award recipients!
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VOLUNTEERS AT EMMAUS HISTORIAL SOCIETYEmmaus Rotary members helped with a painting and sanding project at The Emmaus Historical Society on Saturday, August 8th. The Historical Society is moving from their Chestnut Street location to a larger building at 218 Main Street, Emmaus.
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ROTARY FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT - KEENA KITAAt the August 3rd meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club, Kenna Kita, an Emmaus High School student, shared her experience as a Rotary foreign exchange student in France this past year. Brittany, France was her hometown during her year abroad. As the name implies, the area has a strong Celtic and British influence.
Food is very important in their culture and meals often included crepes, seafood, galette, and cider. School operated from 7:55 AM through 5:40 PM during the week. After completion of each trimester, there were two week breaks between each session. Students choose from three separate focus areas: science, economics or literature. Kenna focused on language/literature. Her fluency in the French language was apparent and she mentioned that towards the end of her time in France she was thinking in French.
Kenna was hosted by three families while in France. Along the way, Keena attended two to three Rotary meetings each month. Keena was one of twenty-five Rotary exchange students from all over the world who were hosted in France during her time there. Keena was able to get together with the other Rotary exchange students for some travel and adventure. She visited places such as Vannes, Lisbon, Paris and Rennes with her host families. But, the highlight was a group Euro tour with the Rotary exchange students stopping in most of the territories.
Kenna highlighted that her year in France has made her more independent, confident, mature and cultural. She expressed her sincere gratitude to the Emmaus Rotary Club for our support. Below is a picture of Kenna and her parents.
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Kyle O'Neill - Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley Kyle O'Neill, Executive Director of Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley, visited Emmaus Rotary last Thursday to thank the club for its support and give an update on the program this year.
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Rotarian Bryce Ruggieri - Classification Talk Bryce Ruggieri joined the Emmaus Rotary Club in July 2014 and was sponsored by Rotarian Chris Wills. He spent his freshman year in college at Eastern University before he was swayed by his future wife to transfer to Liberty University, where she was enrolled. He went on to graduate with a business degree in Finance in May 2007.
Entering the job market just before the financial crisis, Bryce obtained an analyst position with a small firm on Wall Street. After working there a year, he was abruptly laid off due to market conditions. He quickly learned the rule of thumb “last in first out.” Fresh off an engagement, he was determined to take care of his soon-to-be bride. Bryce found a job with Wells Fargo (Wachovia at the time) as a financial advisor on their retail team. After exploring that path for a few months, he wanted to find something in the commercial bank of Wells Fargo. He accepted a position as a financial analyst and then was promoted to a Relationship Manager for the commercial bank at Wells Fargo.
This new role required Bryce to travel all over the northeast. Although he enjoyed his time traveling, in January 2014, he and his wife, Brittney, welcomed their first child to the family, Brayden. After a few months of traveling with his son at home, Bryce decided to find a commercial banking position in the Lehigh Valley with limited travel. He accepted a position as a Relationship Manager in the commercial bank at Lafayette Ambassador Bank in May 2014. Bryce serves on the ERC golf committee and ultimately joined Rotary to serve in the East Penn community and to build relationships in the area.
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The Literacy Center of the Lehigh ValleyMaryAnn Przekurat, Executive Director of the Literacy Center of the Lehigh Valley, thanked the Emmaus Rotary Club for their donation and matching grant totaling $4000. The funds had a direct impact on the lives of 500 local students studying for the GED and learning English. Ultimately, this helps these students to "improve their lives, the lives of their families, and their community by improving their literacy." Emmaus Rotarian Ginny Wingard began the Emmaus Rotary Literacy sub-committee in 2013. With her leadership and the committee's guidance this project came to fruition.
Below is Emmaus Rotary President Sue Strateter-Doviak, MaryAnn Przekurat, Ann Peaslee and Ginny Wingard.
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Allentown Waterfront Project - Zach JaindlZachary J. Jaindl currently serves as Chief Operations Officer of Jaindl Enterprises where he oversees both long-term and day-to-day operations, portfolio acquisitions and subsequent development renovation efforts, formulates and executes ongoing marketing strategies, and directly manages each of the company’s many departments. Zach studied both finance and marketing at Lehigh University where he began to establish a business plan centered around smart urban growth, the prevention of urban sprawl, and historic preservation through responsible renovation and redevelopment. Mark Jaindl and Zach Jaindl co-founded Jaindl Properties in 2011 and focused their strategy around the preservation of historic Lehigh Valley sites and landmarks, including The Waterfront project: a 1,000,000 square foot mixed-use development along the Lehigh River in Allentown, PA.
During his presentation Zach detailed the Waterfront project being built at the site of the old Lehigh Structural Steel plant in Allentown. Located in a Neighborhood Improvement Zone ("NIZ"), the redevelopment effort will increase the tax base by over $3.8 million and bring in an estimated 2900 jobs to Allentown. The site is spread over 26 acres along the Lehigh River. It will include retail space, office space, residential apartments and beautiful outdoor space with a Riverwalk and courtyard venues. Because of the project's location inside the NIZ, office space will be an affordable $10-12 per square foot. The importance of supporting the Allentown School District and continuing to improve it was also a highlight of the presentation.
Per the Waterfront website, below is a rendering view from the Lehigh River.
 Jaindl Properties has also purchased land adjacent to, but not within the NIZ. Plans for this land were not discussed. But, it was revealed that the rail line on the adjacent land - extending from the Waterfront north into Whitehall - will be converted into a new road connecting the towns. The road will include walking and biking trails and is expected to alleviate a significant amount of traffic from the surrounding area. To view more renderings of the project click here.
Below is Zach Jaindl delivering his presentation to the Emmaus Rotary Club.
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Independence Day Celebration J.P. Raynock led the Emmaus Rotary Club in a wonderful program celebrating our nation's Independence. The club enjoyed singing the National Anthem, God Bless America, and America the Beautiful. Catherine Raynock, pictured below, did an excellent job with her piano accompaniment on two songs. Between songs, Bob Goehler (after fixing "grammatical errors") read a fantastic poem about the American Flag, Ceil Birdsell told us the story of Uncle Sam, and Bob Rust gave us a prelude to the reading of the Declaration of Independence noting its basis stemming from the Ten Commandments. J.P. Raynock read the Declaration of Independence summing up our tribute to our great nation.
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Check Presentation to Lower Macungie Township - June 18, 2015On June 18, 2015, Bill Erdman and Gary Guthrie presented a check for $2000 from the Emmaus Rotary Club to Lower Macungie Township supervisors at the regular township meeting. The Hamilton Crossings developer provided a $2,000 match to improve the landscaping and construct a sidewalk across the frontage of the Wescosville Community Park property.
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Club Leadership Change OverSue Straeter-Doviak joyfully received the gavel from current Club President Mark Erle representing the beginning of her tenure as Emmaus Rotary Club President for the 2015-2016 year. Sue will be outlining the Club's vision and goals at the Club Assembly this week.
 District Governor Elect Doug Cook visited Emmaus Rotary to assist with Sue's induction as Club President.
 Gary Rohrbach conducted the traditional "passing of the gavel" ceremony. Past Presidents participating in the ceremony included Wilmer Schultz, Carl Frantz, Dale Dries, Gary Rohrbach, John Zettlemoyer, PDG Roger Whitcomb, PDG Frank Romano, Larry Delhagen, Chris Wills, Ceil Birdsell, Ralph Lewis, Larry Wingard, J.P. Raynock, Geoff Boyer, Woody Rohrbach, and Cindy Hornaman.
 In addition to the "passing of the gavel" and induction of Club officers for 2015-2016, two members were recognized for outstanding service to Emmaus Rotary Club.
Bob Halsey received Paul Harris Fellow recognition for his longtime service as Membership Committee Chair from Past President J.P. Raynock. During Bob's tenure, the Membership Committee consistently met annual membership growth and retention goals and Bob became known as a membership "guru" throughout District 7430. In addition to personally interviewing virtually all new member candidates, Bob formalized the processes for recruiting, vetting and inducting new members, as well as continuing the annual Perfect Attendance program. In his spoken remarks, J.P. outlined many of Bob's other contributions to Emmaus Rotary Club which go well beyond his service on the Membership Committee including serving as a member of the Club board of directors and District Conference co-chair during Roger Whitcomb's term as District Governor. Bob also led numerous Club auctions, organized several golf tournaments and other fund raising events, spearheaded the Club's volunteer efforts at the Miracle League and manned the Club's information booth at the Emmaus Farmers Market and Lower Macungie Community Days. Congratulations Bob for your outstanding service to Emmaus Rotary Club and the local community!
Mike Gibson also received Paul Harris Fellow recognition for his service as Youth Committee Chair. Under Mike's leadership, the Youth Committee established a long term scholarship fund for local high school students, supported the Emmaus High School Interact Club in its growth to over 100 members, facilitated foreign exchange experiences for numerous students (both incoming and outgoing), and recruited dozens of future leaders to attend Camp Neidig. Mike also served several terms as a member of the Club board of directors. Thank you Mike for representing the ideals of Rotary and for your service to others.
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Don "Re-Dad" Blose - Classification TalkDon Blose joined Emmaus Rotary in June 2014. He was sponsored by Nelly Kabiru and has long standing relationships with many other Rotarians which prompted him to join the club. Some of those relationships go back to his years on the YMCA swim team with Jim Ritter. Don still holds the 8-9 year old breaststroke record from that timeframe; mainly since they eliminated the age bracket as he noted.
He has had many career endeavors starting with the property and casualty insurance business. He worked for MetLife, MONY, RCFK and KWN insurance agencies. From insurance he jumped to restaurant management. Don was in charge of Wendy's in Pottstown, PA. In an effort to find a location closer to home after successfully turning around a couple of locations, he decided to move on to another career since Wendy's was not allowing the transition.
This lead to Crest Abstract and Settlement USA, a title insurance company. He is a licensed notary and though he now manages the marketing arm of the company (Gopher Services), he still fills in for settlements once in a while. Gopher Services provides printing, graphic design and promotional products to help your company "market to the top".
Don is married to Wanda, pictured below. They have two children, Rebecca & Adam. Rebecca has two children, Weiland and Morrison. Adam also has two children, Janessa & Leo. The four grandkids call Don "Re-Dad", instead of other variations of grandfather. Don is a welcome addition to Emmaus Rotary and his colorful ties add a fun twist to morning meetings.
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