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Welcome to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club! This club has a long history of serving the community and the world. Chartered in 1928, the club partners with other service organizations such as the Salvation Army and the Family Backpack Center in Morrisville to help those who are hungry and in need. It has a strong partnership with the Morrisville School District, developing a community garden and learning center at the Grandview Elementary School, while also providing books and dictionaries to libraries in Morrsiville and Pennsbury schools. Each year, a well deserving high school senior in Morrisville High School is awarded the club's annual scholarship for academic excellence and outstanding community service. In addition, the club provides opportunity for two local high school students to participate in "Camp Neidig", a youth leadership development program run by the club's Rotary District 7430.
Many Rotarians volunteer regularly at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and serve as Canal Tenders for the Friends of the Delaware Canal clean up and preservation. The club is a proud sponsor of Morrisville's Night Out, an annual anti-crime event that brings the community together through fun activities, music, food and information. The club also holds an annual Morrisville Community Easter Egg Hunt in Williamson Park.
Globally, the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club recently closed out its water filter project that serves needy residents of Lima, Peru. It supports Rotaplast, an organization that provides free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for children in countries where medical services are limited, supports ShelterBox, an organization that provides immediate shelter and help to to those struck by tragedy and disaster, and continues to support PolioPlus, the Rotary inspired fight that that is about to eradicate polio from the world.
Take a look around this site to see and learn more about Rotary and use the Contact Us tab to request more information.
Barbara Nuzzolo, President 2017-2018
New Rotarian, Dr. Bindukumar Kansupada ("Dr. K"), retired cardiologist, gave an impassioned talk about his career as heart and health specialist in the area for the past 38 years. He served his cardiovascular residence training at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and his internal medicine residency at the Lutheran Medical Center. He is a member of the Advisory Health Board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and serves as an Active Leader of the American Medical Association, a Delegate, Bucks County Medical Society for the Pennsylvania Medical Society, a member of the Advisory Council, Keystone Mercy Insurance Company, and Payers Committee, American College of Cardiology, Pennsylvania Chapter. He has been Director of Cardiac Rehab at St. Mary Medical Center and is on the faculty at Drexel University and an instructor at Aria Hospital. He has been a speaker for Merck, Astra, Bristol-Myers, Pfizer, Guident, St. Jude and Genetec. In retirement, he now is traveling extensively in the U.S., India and elsewhere, giving talks and presentations on the vital necessity of a healthy lifestyle. He is enthusiastic about using the resources of Rotary as a base for health-centered, community programs and said that pharmaceutical companies are willing to invest in such programs.
Dick Gagnier Gives his Rotary "Classification Speech"
New Rotarian Dick Gagnier told the club about himself and his career and profession at a recent meeting of the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club. He said that from his two marriages he has eight grandchildren who are the “love of my life”. He noted that he has lived in Yardley for some 32 years and has been retired from Bristol-Myers Squib for 10 years. He said that he earned his MBA from the University of New Haven and worked for Bristol-Myers Squib in pharmaceutical sales and marketing which he said was a “wonderful time”. Golfing and reading are his favorite pastimes (likes murder mysteries and prefers print books to Kindle) and he likes to volunteer at St. Mary Medical Center in its pharmaceutical department.
Steve Ullrich Gives his Rotary “Classification Speech”
New Rotarian Steve Ullrich, welcomed by Club President Barbara Nuzzolo, introduced himself and his profession at the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club’s August 17, 2017, meeting at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club in Yardley. Steve said he is married with family that includes one in high school, two in college and two with their own professional careers. His wife, Linda, he noted, is a teacher who is hoping to go from part time to full time this coming year. He said that he has been a mortician for some 40 years. As co-owner of the J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel in Morrisville, Steve emphasized the individualized personal care and attention the chapel gives to families in conveying the story of the deceased to those who come to pay their respects. As to professional requirements for a mortician, a Bachelor of Science degree is now required but when he graduated from Temple University it was not. He said his specific training was at the American Academy of Funeral Service in New York.
Night Out in Morrisville Awards Check to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club
Rotarians Jen Holthenrichs (left) and Danielle Larison (right), the organizers of Night Out in Morrisvillle, presented to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club a check in the amount of $1674, to be used for the club’s community service projects. Club President Barbara Nuzzolo accepted the check on behalf of the club at the club’s August 10, 2017, meeting. The money came from people in the community who participated in the basket raffle and 50-50 proceeds at the Night Out event of August 1, 2017. Morrisville’s annual Night Out is part of16,000 such events nationwide, and the largest in the local area, that bring communities together in a fun and social evening to talk with and show support for police, fire and emergency service professionals who serve the community.
Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club Passes the Gavel June 29, 2017
(l to r) Asst. District Governor John Ortolf, incoming Club President Barbara Nuzzolo and Exec. Dir. Of Pennsbury Manor Doug Miller
At the Garden of Eatin restaurant the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club celebrated its successful past Rotary Year under the leadership of outgoing President Bill Pepitone and welcomed the opportunities of the Rotary new year being led by incoming President Barbara Nuzzolo.
Assistant District Governor John Ortolf enumerated the various community service projects and fundraisers of the club and presented a Paul Harris Award to Barry Vannauker, his fifth. John noted that the Paul Harris Award recognizes significant donations to The Rotary Foundation, which is the largest service club foundation in the world and has been sustained over the years by over $3 Billion in member donations. Money from the foundation helps support local projects, such as the Back Pack Center in Morrisville and the Grandview Elementary School Educational Garden, all the way to PolioPlus , the worldwide effort that is eradicating polio from the face of the earth.
Service projects over the past year have included the aforementioned Grandview Garden and Backpack Center plus the distribution of dictionaries and books for Morrisville and Pennsbury elementary schools, Hands Across the Canal, Morrisville Night Out, Canal Tenders, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen volunteers, and the Annual Morrisville Community Easter Egg Hunt, which this year distributed some 2500 eggs to the children. The club also was able to close out its water filter project that serves needy residents of Lima, Peru.
Featured speaker Doug Miller, Executive Director of Pennsbury Manor, described how the life and character of William Penn matched the values of Rotary, which include strengthening community, supporting literacy, providing scholarship, eradicating disease and promoting peace. Much to the chagrin of his father, an Admiral in the British Navy, young Penn became a rebellious Quaker. Upon his father’s death, young Penn was able to get title from the king to land in America in exchange for relief from repayment for money his father had loaned to the crown. The king named the land “Pennsylvania” and there William Penn was able to put his ideas into place about peace, democratic government, religious freedom, and good relationships with the native Americans. An interesting side note is that small pox broke out aboard ship during one of his trips to America and he administered to the sick and dying, being able to do so because of his own immunity to the disease after becoming infected at age 3.
April 15, 2017
Morrisville Community Easter Egg Hunt
The Morrisville Community Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club, once again was a great success. Led by Rotarian Mike Yager, many friends of Rotary and members of the community helped prepare and spread out over Williamson Park some 2500 plastic eggs filled with goodies (really!). There were “door prizes” and pretzels and other goodies available. And the Girl Scouts were very important in helping the Rotarians in “crowd control” to hold back all of the enthusiastic children until the “GO” was given! As usual, within 5 minutes all of the eggs and been scooped up and the participants and all of the adults gathered around the Rotary grandstand to see if their tickets were winners as the door prizes were given out. All and all a fitting event prior to the celebration of Easter.
April 8, 2017
Canal Tenders
Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club members and friends met on Saturday, April 8, 2017, to do their part in helping to keep the canal towpath clear of trash. This was part of the annual “Canal Tenders” Clean-up Day all along the canal organized by the Friends of the Delaware Canal. A lot of the energy came from Morrisville Pack 46 Cub Scouts and their leaders as the group enthusiastically worked from Black Rock Road in Lower Makefield Township to East Trenton Avenue in Morrisville.
March 23, 2017
Important Story of Japanese Immigrants
Rotarian Juan Proano, Naomi Shibato and Luisa Proano
Naomi Shibata spoke to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club about her family who managed to overcome great hardship and humiliation, as have many other immigrant families, and still maintained a spirit of hope without bitterness or anger. Naomi said she is a third-generation Japanese-American who was living in California when she and her family sponsored Rotarian Juan Proano and his wife, Luisa, when they first arrived in America from Peru in 1962. Ms. Shibata recently edited a book, "Bend With The Wind", which was written by her mother, which details the story of her mother's life and the family’s history. Ms. Shibata's grandparents immigrated to the US from Japan in the late 1890s with the dream of becoming American citizens. Her grandfather overcame many obstacles to become a very successful and respected farmer in California but the dream of citizenship was long-deferred by many laws of the times and then came the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the attack her grandfather was listed as a “person of interest” and interred, along with some 1200 other Japanese-Americans, for two years in various concentration camps in the U.S. Ultimately, 120,000 Japanese-American citizens were taken from their homes and businesses and held in ten different desert camps in the U.S. until 1944. After WWII ended, the families were able to return to homes and businesses to continue their pursuit of the American dream. Ultimately the book is an inspiring testament to the resilience of a family whose spirit has enabled the family to fulfill the promise and hope of their grandparents and has allowed them to live lives filled with family, friendships and great accomplishments. Witness, Ms. Shibata's mother who earned her bachelor’s degree at age 74!
March 9, 2017
Rotarians Learn about Primrose Schools Franchising
Chris Goethe, speaker of the evening, was presented a Robert Morris statue cup from Rotarian Mike Yager, Treasurer, in appreciation for his talk.
Chris Goethe, VP of Franchising for Primrose Schools, explained that Primrose Schools is a private preschool organization that provides premier educational child care experiences for children and families. The schools serve children ranging in age from six weeks to six years old, and have after-school programs for children up to twelve years old. Founded in 1982 in Georgia, Primrose Schools began making education the key component of its curriculum in an era when “all-play and nothing-but-play” was the accepted norm. Primrose refers to its approach as “balanced learning” involving “nurturing Active Minds, Healthy Bodies and Happy Hearts “.
Chris explained that his job is to develop franchises, with a current emphasis on the Northeast. Primrose has more than 300 schools in 25 states and has earned top recognition for student outcomes and satisfaction among franchise owners, staff, local communities and families. There are, however, only a few franchises in the Northeast. “The reason that I am on the planet”, he said, “Is to utilize the gifts and abilities I have to help other people be successful."
More information about Primrose and Chris can be found at http://franchise.primroseschools.com/about.
Feb. 16, 2017
Scout Night!
Lew Mohr, Susan Seinback, Marsha Walsh, Katie Weinhardt, Dave Burkhardt, Mike Yager, John Wasenko, James Lanciano and Bill Pitts.
This was the annual Rotary recognition of Scouting and the honoring of the local Scout Leaders for their service to the youth and to the community.
Speakers included Girl Scout Gold Award recipient Katie Weinhardt of the Oakville Troop 2974. Katie was supported by Girl Scout leaders Susan Seinback and Marsha Walsh. She outlined the 7 steps to achieving the Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts and equivalent to the boy’s Eagle Scout award. Her project was focused on the issue of loneliness in the elderly community and arose out of her personal experience with her grandfather in a nursing home. The 80 hour project culminated in Girl Scouts and nursing home residents socializing and getting to know each other. The residents appreciated the ability to interact with the young people while the scouts more fully appreciated the experiences of the elderly.
Boy Scout District Chairman Bill Pitts, Troop 3 Scout Master John Wasenko and Chairman Dave Burkhardt were on hand to support Junior Assistant Scout Master James Lanciano. James currently is working on a project that will lead to his Eagle Award. Long-time scout leader Lew Mohr was thanked by Rotarian Mike Yager for arranging to have all of the scouts at the meeting. Also in attendance was Lew Mohr’s son, Duane, an Air Force Lt. Col. Retired and Eagle Scout.
Feb. 2, 2017
Rotarian Jumps for Fun!
At the weekly dinner meeting on February 2, 2017, the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club welcomed long-time member, Denny Lanctot, as the guest speaker. Denny entertained and educated the group with a video of his sky-diving adventures. He experienced his first jump at the age of 70 in Colorado, as a birthday gift from his son. This past year, at age 76, Denny did it again! (These are tandem jumps with the jumper tethered to an experienced sky-diving instructor, so previous experience is not required.) Congratulations Denny!
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