Due to the spike in local coronavirus cases, the Board has decided to suspend in-person meetings through the end of March. We will be meeting Thursday 7:30AM on Zoom and an email will go out to members with the link prior to the meeting. Our speaker this week will be Laurie Cleveland from the Sourland Conservancy.
As you may be aware, Habitat For Humanity is building its first ever house here in Montgomery Twp (on Willow Rd). Our club is looking to do a group build for this project. We have donated $1,000 from our Giving Budget this year and also hope to give service hours as well. They can have only 10 volunteers on the site due to Covid safety precautions. The build date options are either 4/23, 4/30 and 5/11. If you are interested, please click on the survey found HERE so that Sharon Prosinski can schedule. For more info on the local Habitat chapter, visit their website at rvhabitat.org
In conjunction with our High School Interact students our Rotarians are welcome to create a letter, note, poem, or artistic work that will be given to a senior citizen living in our community. Each should be in an individual envelope. These letters will be collected by Sharon Prosinksi on Feb 19 and 26 at your home if you request a pick up. They will then go out to our seniors through the Senior Center along with their pick up of lunches and delivered to Stonebridge residents. A list of other seniors that could use a positive connection is being searched out.
In addition you are welcome to include a return addressed envelope with a stamp as well if you wish to offer a potential return communication. This step is not required. This project could continue into March based on response. Hope your winter joys can be shared through a note of support.
All Rotarians should have received an email from Zoltan Nagy asking how they want their 50/50 tickets distributed. If you haven't already responded, please respond by Fri 2/26. Paul Blodgett will be providing additional information in the not too distant future.
As part of Black History Month, Rotary International will be holding a webinar on February 25th at 4PM EST to focus on the black experience in Rotary. For more information and to register, click HERE.
For all those who have said "How is it possible that we've sent a man to the moon last century but still can't advertise our businesses on our Rotary club's website?", your long wait is over. For information on rates and procedure, go the home page of our website and download the website sponsorship guide found on the right hand side of the page. There will be a limited number of rotating ads and club members will get first crack at the opportunity before it is opened to the general public. Proceeds from ad sales will be used to offset the club's website and communications expenses. Any questions, ask the webmaster Matt Romanoski.
SWS, Simuel Whitfield Simmons Organization, is an organization our club has supported in the past through a college dorm supplies effort in the spring. They offer support to families in need in a multitude of ways. Currently their food insecurity needs are overwhelming. Natasha Roberts is requesting supermarket gift cards for families in their program in need of food. For more information on this organization visit swsorganization.org. You can mail gift cards or a donation to:
The lack of in-person meetings did not stop our annual bag lunches to SHIP program! Thanks to all of our Rotarians who delivered sandwiches and other items to Maria Kauzmann's house. And, above all, thank you to Maria Kauzmann for organizing, packing and delivering 135 bag lunches to SHIP to help feed the homeless in the Somerville area.
One of the goals I set at the beginning of my term last July was to have the club be more involved in things at the District and Rotary International levels. As Tony Parziale found before me and Andy Mozumdar will find out after me, Rotary club presidents get inundated with a never-ending stream of initiatives, webinars, meetings, training sessions, awards and recognition pouring in from all over the Rotary universe. One of the key challenges for a club president is sifting through and prioritizing all this information because it’s simply impossible to act on it all.
