To respond to the coronavirus pandemic, the club is meeting at the present time via Zoom and teleconferencing. Check the calendar for details and stay well - frequent hand washing, social distancing and masks.

Click to find:  What's coming up?    Where does the club meet and what is the ZOOM meeting ID, Passcode and Dial-in phone no.?   Who are the Officers?  How Can I be Involved? 

Click here for details about our website sponsors who currently are Thomas J. Mack Construction and J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel. (Want to help sponsor? Just contact us at claude@magnaniinsurance.com) 

Click Here to read my welcome message and then continue to scroll down to see what the club has been doing over the past few years. (We've been busy!)

Oh, and click on the Facebook link below to go to the Club's facebook page.

 Danielle Larison, President 2020-2021 

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 October 22, 2020

General Rotary Meeting. VP Mike Yager conducted the meeting and welcomed Asst. District Governor, Gail Linenberg, who encouraged participation in the district’s “Purple Pinkie” Polio fundraising activities. Mike then introduced his long-time friend and business associate, Daniel Umstead, as the speaker.  Daniel spoke on "Building your brand through social media" and gave a number of tips on engaging others. His central message was that on social media people are more interested in getting to know who you are on a personal basis, rather than what business affiliations you may have.

Sept. 24, 2020

Diane Marseglia, Bucks County Commissioner, explained to the club the county's plans for handling the expected heavy load of mail-in ballots in the coming election and talked about efforts to establish a Mental Health Court to better address the issues of clinical and criminal justice outcomes for people living with mental illness.

Sept.10, 2020 

At the first meeting in September, the speaker was John Scott of the District talking about the Purple Pinkie/Race to Zero,

a District event to raise money for the polio fight. Click Here for more info.

Pleased to have Asst. District Governor Gail Linenberg attending and introducing John.

August 27, 2020

At the second club meeting of August, Rob Grau, owner of Horizons Advertising in Morrisville, spoke via ZOOM to the club about developing the Yardley Car Festival website, which he did at no cost to the club.. He also talked about his development of the new Make It Morrisville website, which he disigned to promote everything in Morrisville. Go to MakeItMorrisville.com and look around. Other info shared in the meeting was that Peruzzi Auto Group had made a $500 donation to the club for its Major Sponsorship of the  Yardley Car Festival.

August 13, 2020 

District Governnor Janet Kolepp talked to the club about the goals and resources available from the district and RI to aid in

Growing Rotary. She noted the five core values of Rotary: Fellowship, Integrity, Diversity, Service and Leadership. (Go to the RI website rotary.org/learn and select Learning and References in the drop down menu. Scroll down to the menu selections and explore.) Janet was introduced by Asst. Governor Gail Linenberg. The entire Zoom presentation is available by clicking here   pwd GM$v.4j+

July 23, 2020 Asst. District Governor Gail Linenberg spoke to the club via it's Zoom General Meeting. She offered some ideas about fund-raising and member recruiting in this pandemic. She also cited Welcome to the World of Rotary New Member Event Aug. 3 being offered by the district and the July 27 Changeover Celebration for the district leaders. (Go to the District website for details.) She also described the new Rotary International Area of Focus which is on the Environment. 

July 21, 2020 Rotarian Mike Yager, 3rd from right, led the club in arranging for food and gift card donations to the Interfaith Alliance in Morrisville which helps local families that are food insecure. The funding was through a Rotary District 7430 cornavirus grant. Rotary 1st VP, Danielle Larison is on the right and Exec. Dir of the alliance, Diane Casey, is 2nd from right. The others are Rotarians and spouses.

July 17, 2020 The Virtual Yardley Car Festival has ended. Go to the festival website (Click here) to see the winners and thank the advertisers by looking over their ads. Thanks to all who particpated, entered vehicles, provided ads and gift certificates, voted and helped spread the word. The website will remain open for anyone who wants to relive the experience!  

June 25, 2020  ZOOM Speaker Jonathon Snipes, Exec. Director, Snipes Farm and Education Center, spoke on "Farming Through a Pandemic". The good news, he said, is that the farm has focused on emergency food growing and has been able to produced twice as much as last year. This is very important to all of the organizations that distribute food to the many needy people and families who are food insecure in the Lower Bucks County, Philadelphia and Trenton areas. They also have many programs addressing the special needs people have at this time, including a recipe book about farm camping at home so that kids can watch and help parents prepare interesting meals at home.The Community Suppported Agriculture (CSA) program also is going well, as they have been able to supply a large variety of garden vegetables to the participants.

June 11, 2020 Valley Day School Copes with Pandemic

The club's own Rotarian, Dr. Ron Hall, Exec. Dir. of the Valley Day School, spoke about how the school and the students successfully coped with the pandemic and honored the graduating seniors.  

May 28, 2020 First Club ZOOM Speaker

Speaker Clark Shuster, Exc. Dir.or the Morrisville Senior Servicecenter, was first ever ZOOM speaker for the club. He gave the background of the center and what it took to overcome the physical problems of the service center building that almost caused the center to have to close.   

April 11, 2020   Easter Egg Hunt tradition preserved!

Instead of hundreds of Morrisville children gathering candy-filled Easter Eggs in Williamson Park, the eggs found them! The 70+ year tradition of the Morrisville Easter Egg Hunt was preserved with many thanks to Rotarian Mike Yager, his wife Michelle and many others behind the scenes. Mike and Michelle carefully handed out from their home and delivered carefully packaged and sanitized Easter Egg "kits" for several hundred children in Morrisville. In addition they provided the Interfaith Food Alliance with the "kits" for their clients which were handed out at the Morrisville United Methodist Church, along with groceries and gift cards to help the families at this most difficult time.

February 27, 2020    Rotary’s Scout Leaders Appreciation Dinner   Yardley Country Club

February 27, 2020 The Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club hosted its annual Scout Leaders Recognition Banquet at the Yardley Country Club. President Denny Lanctot thanked the leaders “for their outstanding service and lasting contributions to the Development of Character, Citizenship and Personal Fitness of Children and Youth in the Morrisville and Yardley Area”. A certificate of appreciation was presented to William Maywood, Scout Director for the Tamanend District. Lisa Pellegrino, representing the Oakville Girl Scout Unit, was thanked for her unit’s service.  Gus Cales gave an inspired talk about the Marine Corps’ Eagle Scout recognition program and Cheryl Hallowell explained the Wood Badge organization and its work to train adult scouting leaders throughout the world. Rotarian Tom Miller was pleased to note that his two sons are Eagle Scouts.

Left to right: Ed Becker - Explorer Crew 210 leader, Lisa Pellegrino - Girl Scout Oakville Service Unit leader, Mark Pellegrino – Chartered Organization Representative (COR) Troop 230, John McIntire - Asst Scoutmaster Troop 46, Jodi Becker – member Explorer Crew 210, Bill Burgess - COR Troop & Pack 3, Cheryl Hallowell – representative of Wood Badge, a worldwide advanced training program for adult scout leaders, William Maywood – Exec of the Tamanend District, Lew Mohr – long time area Scout leader, Cheryl Hamm – Sea Scout leader Ship 2012, Gus Cales – Marine Corp League Eagle Scout representative, Dave Burkhardt – Scoutmaster Troop 46, Erica Schabert – Sea Scout Ship 2012

Waiting  (guests Wanda Long, Vivian Magnani, and Dave Harris with Linda Yonkin and Claude Magnani)                                                                                                    

 Ted Fletcher and Dave Sample waiting while Denny prepares for the meeting.  

Welcome by President Denny Lanctot

 Guests

Tom Miller remarks 

 Gus Cales remarks          

Certificate of appreciation 

Time to eat!   

  Miller lite?

February 24, 2020 Rotary Table at Pennsbury's Career Fair

Denny, Linda and Hal had a great time introducing parents and students to the Rotary Exchange Program, the 4Way Test Speech Contest and other Rotary activities.

February 13, 2020

Mawa Lewis (center), a Morrisville HS senior, spoke to the Rotarians and their guests at the first meeting of February at the Yardley Country Club. Mawa is President of her senior class and a National Honor Society member, among other accomplishments. She was accompanied by Morrisville Superintendent of Schools, Jason Harris (right). Mawa said that she wants every graduating senior in Morrisville to receive a $500 scholarship that is to be applied to advanced education,through either college or the trades. This will be an incentive, she believes, for those who don't believe that they can go further in their education. Her goal is to raise $25,000 by May 1 of this year. Her plan is to ask individuals an businesses to contribute. She plans to work through the Morrisville Opportunity and Education Foundation (MOEF), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Those wanting help Mawa and support this project can donate at morrisville-opp-ed-squarespace.org. Advise them by email at MOEF@mv.org that your donation is for the Mawa Lewis scholarship project. President Denny Lanctot (left) presented Mawa and Jason the Morrisville Robert Morris mugs in appreciation of the presentation. 

Also at the meeting, James Wass (right) was presented to the club as a Paul Harris Fellow, compliments of Rotarian Tom Miller (left), who is part of the club's Rotary Foundation Committee. James is married to Tom's granddaughter, Brett, and she and Tom's wife, Karleen were present.to see James honored,

January 9,2020

The Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club was happy to be back at the Yardley Country Club for its meeting of January 9, 2020. President Denny Lanctot thanked speakers Mark and Mimi Worthington of Upper Makefield for their presentation.

Mark and Mimi explained how a Peace Corps friend who found himself in Guatemala invited them to visit and how that led to the formation of a non-profit to support indigenous people in and around San Marcos La Laguna, which is a small village of approximately 2200 inhabitants, the majority of whom are indigenous Mayans. It sits next to Lake Atitlan at an elevation of 5200 feet and connects to other lakeside communities by boat or a single narrow road through the mountains. Indigenous families live on less than $2 per day and the malnutrition rate for children is up to 80% with corn tortillas being the main diet.

The “Konojel” non-profit organization was founded in 2011 to provide a nutritious meal each day for at-risk residents. It has evolved to become the Konojel Community Center to offer a wider range of programs and opportunities for the Mayan community including educational enrichment for children, cooperatives for women, a computer center, a restaurant to help with fundraising and other community services.

The program is currently housed in a school in the town but has outgrown its space. To provide expanded services and living space for volunteers and outdoor space for activities, a 2-story, 6000 sq. ft. building is under construction on a site that had been covered with rocks from a landslide. The cement block construction, using local hired help, is very labor-intensive and supplies have to be carried ¾ mile on a trail from the road. $150,000 is needed to finish the project. In addition, kitchen equipment, furniture, a storage tank for water, a back-up electric generator and a water purification system are needed. Also, the laptop computers, which were bought used, are out-of-date and need to be replaced.

For more information and to make a donation go to konoljel.org.

December 14, 2019

Club members provided the food and drinks concession at Morrisville's Winterfest. Thanks to Mike Yager and his crew.

December 12, 2019

On Thursday, December 12th the Morrisville-Yardley Rotary Club meeting was held at the Valley Day School in Morrisville. Guest Speaker was Scott McCrea, Rotarian from the Township of Springfield Rotary Club and Board Member of the Valley Day School. He painted a picture of his journey growing up in a small town in Michigan, to graduation from Michigan University, to large equipment sales, to his migration to Bucks County and a career change that led to the discovery of the Valley Day School.

A proud husband and father of a son with special needs, he shared about the challenges of finding an academic program that was an appropriate fit. His research, along with a leap of faith, led him to Bucks County and through networking, he became acquainted with retired Executive Director of the Valley Day School, Geoffrey Axe. He learned about the school’s mission and, intrigued, spent considerable time visiting the school. One of the things that impressed him was the school’s “Community Meeting” protocol and how each day the students receive support from staff whenever they become overwhelmed. (More about Valley Day School at valleyday.org)

McCrea (left) shared about his passion for giving back to the community and as a financial advisor, his pleasure in being able to support clients in achieving their goals (EdwardJones 215-836-1431). His career shift provides him the time to be a blessing to others and spend time with his family.

He was given a Robert Morris mug as a token of appreciation for his talk by Rotarian Hal Long.

December 7 & 14, 2019

Supporting the Salvation Army, volunteers from the club "rang the bells" in front of Penny's at the Oxford Valley Mall to raise needed funds.

November 14. 2019

Scott Mitchel, Morrisville Borough Manager, spoke to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary at the Garden of Eatin. He noted that he is a member of the Langhorne Rotary, previously was Manager of the Morrisville Senior Center and before that, Langhorne Borough Manger. He likes challenges and was able to lead the Senior Center back to viability when it was the verge of closing due to problems with the center’s facilities. As to economic development of the borough, he noted that developers and business people look for efficient borough administration and strict code enforcement to help maintain a stable business environment and protect property values. Since his appointment as Borough Manager two years ago, he has been able to develop more efficient operations and provide needed training of the staff. Code enforcement focused on absentee landlords is resulting in better maintenance and improved appearance of properties and the elimination of blighted areas. His efforts to secure grants is helping fund capital improvement projects and aging infrastructure, including road improvements. Rotary President Denny Lanctot (left) presented him with a Robert Morris mug as a token of appreciation for his talk.

October 10, 2019

At the Yardley Country Club, Joe McGrath (right), discussed with Rotary and guests his proposal to transform Williamson Park in Morrisville to a mixed-use town center. The $100 million dollar redevelopment plan has been in the news recently and has received generally favorable interest. Joe talked about how he had worked his way into the development business and has become a passionate advocate of community-oriented civic planning. He cited his development of the retail and restaurant center, Goodnoe's Corner, in Newtown in the early 2000's. As a token of appreciation for his presentation, President Denny presented him with a Robert Morris mug.

September 26, 2019

Herb Klotz, District 7430 Governor, visited the club at the Yardley Country Club and discussed the District Goals and Strategic Plan for the current Rotary year, July 2019 through June 2020. Emphasis is on membership (net increase 100) and Rotary Foundation Giving (increase in Rotary Direct giving of 100 and Paul Harris Fellow increase by 25). Herb emphasized that there are excellent District persons who can assist local clubs in meeting their goals. Assistant Governor, John Ortolf (right) accompanied Herb. President Denny presented Herb with a Robert Morris mug as a token of appreciation for his talk,

September 12. 2019

Peter Toft and Connie Berndt of Nottingham Insurance on Yardley spoke to the club at the September 12 meeting at the Yardley Country Club. Peter, a partner in Nottingham, gave a history of the firm which goes back over 100 years. Nottingham is an independent agency with two offices, Yardley and Hamilton Square, NJ, and about 40 employees. They represent some 15 different companies, giving them the ability to recommend the best choices for a given customer. Connie Berndt is Director of Sales. They talked about their proprietary process, Diamond Shield Risk Management Solutions, that starts with a compressive assessment of an organization to identify unique needs and then recommend precise strategies to protect the organization's assets. President Denny Lanctot presented them with Robert Morris mugs in appreciation of their talk. 

August 22, 2019

At the August 22 meeting at the Yardley Country Club,Dr. Claude Lessard, of the Lessard Chiropractic Center in Lower Makefield, spoke about enhancing one's life. through personal care. He listed six points important points: Proper Excercise, Good Posture, Nutrition, Sleep, Positive Mental Atitude and A Balanced Spine. He encouraged a regular chiropractic check-up to keep the body in tune and not wait until problems develop. President Denny Lanctot Presented Dr. Lessard a Robert Morris mug in appreciation of his talk to the club. 

August 8, 2019

At the August 8 meeting at the Yardley Country Club, Arden Rossi was inducted as a new member, joining her husband, Tim, who was inducted at the previous meeting. Speaker for the evening was John Stranford, owner of the Morrisville and Newtown Minuteman Press businesses, who shared his business insights.

President Denny, Arden, Juan (Membership Chair)    John Stranford, speaker

August 6, 2019

Morrisville Night Out - Another very successful evening in Williamson Park promoting community togetherness and safety and security awareness. Many thanks to Chairperson Danielle Larison and to Jen Holthenricks and Mike Yager, all Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotarians, for this important community service project.

July 25, 2019

Jessica Milton and Tim Rossi welcomed as new members!

At the July 25 meeting at the Yardley Country Club, Jessica Milton and Tim Rossi were inducted as new members. Jessical is Principal at the Valley Day School and Tim is a financial manager for Merrill Lynch. Tim's wife, Arden, also has joined and will be inducted in August. (Tim and Arden trade off babysitting with their young children and this was Arden's turn with the kids!) The inductions were concucted by Membership Chair, Juan Proano. Assistant Governor, John Ortolf, was present and introduced the new Assistant Governor, Gail Lienberg, who is Past President of Doylestown Rotary.

John Ortolf, Tim Rossi, Jessica Milton, President Denny Lanctot, Juan Proano, Gail Lineberg

June 13, 2019

Pass the Gavel Evening, Yardley Country Club

A good time was had by all as outgoing President Denny Lantot passed the gavel to the incoming President, Denny Lanctot! Seriously, everyone thanked Denny for his dedication to Rotary and willingness to lead the club in the new Rotary year. On hand was District Governor Elect, Herb Klotz, and Assistant Governor John Ortolf, who also will be continuing as Assistant Governor the coming Rotary year.

Herb spoke to the club about the worldwide connections of Rotary with a terrific illustration about his own experience of finding himself and fellow travelors caught in a potentially dangerous airport situation overseas. After being guided to safety, they found themsleves with no luggage, no place to stay and one in the party without medications that were ln the luggage. By being able to make a contact with the local Rotary club, they were immediately  provided with food, shelter and assistance in making exit travel arrangements. And, one of the Rotarians was able to retrieve the needed medications even though the airport situation remained tense. 

President Lanctot introduced the new Board of Directors and Rotarian Juan Proano introduced the newest Rotarian, Jessica Milton, Principal of the Valley Day School, who will be formally inducted in the near future.

President Denny, Governor Elect Herb, and Tom Miller leading the parade to the delicious buffet!

May 23, 2019

 Johnny Gonzalez, Assistant Vice President of Penn Community Bank (right), and Carolyn Nicolosi, Small Business Lending, spoke at the club meeting at the Yardley Country Club. Johnny noted that the bank is the 4th largest bank in Bucks County.and is a mutual financial institution with no direct ownership. It, therefore, is not publicly traded and decisions are not based on investor expectations. Instead, it is an independent, locally focused financial services bank that is committed to being a part of the local community. The bank has a commitment of giving back to the community 5% of net income. Carolyn is responsible for small business lending, defined as businesses with revenues of $1.5 million or under. Club President, Denny Lanctot thanked them for the bank's support of the Yardley Car Festival the past two years and presented them with Robert Morris mugs as a token of thanks for their talks.

May 4, 2019

    Yardley Car Festival In spite of threatening weather in the morning, over 50 cars, plus new cars and trucks presented by Festival Sponsors Team Toyota and Fred Beans, were on display at Yardley's FitzGerald Field on Saturday, May 4. The crowd enjoyed the great variety of cars, trucks and military vehicles, plus the offerings of the vendors, the food and rolled ice cream trucks and the Hot Wheels track for the little ones! A big "thank you" to Peruzzi Dealerships, the Major Sponsor of the festival, and also to the British Cars of Bucks County, who reached out to other car clubs, and to the many businesses who bought ads for the festival souvenir booklet and donated gift certificates for the car awards and door prizes. The proceeds will provde significant funding of Rotary's Literacy and Education projects for local children and youth. See photo album on the Car Festival website www.MyCarFestival.org. Click here

April 20, 2019

Morrisville Community Easter Egg Hunt a great success! Weather cleared just in time for hundreds of children to scamper and collect some 5000 eggs! Check out the Rotary FACEBOOK page (click near top of page). Chair Mike Yager had everyting totally organized and his crew of local Rotary supporters and scouts did a terrific job of making this one of the very best in the long history (over 60 years) of Rotary organizing the Community Easter Egg Hunt.

April 6, 2019

The Morrsiville-Yardley Area Rotary Canal Tenders and friends spent a pleasent morning picking up trash along the Delaware Canal Towpath between Black Rock Road and Trenton Avenue. 

March 28, 2019

Ninth Grader Talks About Fundraising

At the dinner meeting of the club at the Yardley Country Club, Casey Schaeffer, a ninth grader in Pennsbury HS, explained how she was able to raise over $6000 last year and donate to a number of charities including Soldiers Hands and Joyce'sVoice for Cats and fund a music scholarship she started for the most improved senior orchastra student in Pennsbury. She said she started with a lemonade stand when in the 4th grade which developed into a Kid's Carnival that she organized, with the help of 20 volunteer students. The 4th Annual Full Heart Kid's Carnival will be May 18 at Chester Meadow next to Silver Lake on Lakeview Drive in Lower Makefield Township. Find more interesting information about Casey and Full Heart on Facebook.com/fullheartorg. Club President Denny Lanctot presented her with a Robert Morris mug in appreciation of her talk.

March 14, 2019

Pennsbury Invites Rotary to be a Pennsbury Partner

At the dinner meeting of the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at the Yardley Country Club, Ann Langtry, Supervisor of Communications for Pennsbury Schools and Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula, talked to the club. They said that they recognized Rotary’s emphasis on Literacy and Education and talked about how the club can be more involved with Pennsbury. Dr. Gretzula expressed his recognition and appreciation of Rotary and the good it does. Ann Langtry explained the opportunity for the club to become a Pennsbury Partner where it could assist students through participation in existing programs and offer new projects that benefit the students and teachers. President Denny Lanctot presented Ann with a Robert Morris mug as a token of appreciation for her talk and for having Dr. Gretzula join the meeting. 

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In other business,  Assistant Governor John Ortolf (on left at bufffet ) was present to thank the club for providing a basket of cheer to be auctioned at the upcoming District Conference.

Andy Lubin (On right of last photo) of the British Cars of Bucks County and a major organizer of the upcoming Yardley Car Festival talked about how he and his associates are getting other car clubs and businesses involved.

February 2, 2019

Scout Leaders Honored 

The Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club again honored the local Boy Scout and Girl Scout leaders for their work with the youth. The dinner meeting was held at the Yardley Country Club. Michelle Pelligrino was honored for her earning of the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest level in Girl Scouting and equivalent to Eagle Scout for boys. Christian Smith, Eagle Scout gave a talk about being his being a Sea Scout. A certificate of appreciation was given to Joe Hogan, District Chairman of the Tannend District of the Boy Scouts of America. Lew Mohr was thanked for again arranging to have the Boy Scout and Girl Scout representatives at the dinner. Pictured are President Denny Lanctot,Michelle Pelligrino, Lew Mohr and Christian Smith.

January 24, 2019

Labelling student dictionaries and thesauruses for distribution to elementary schools in February.

Claude, Nora, Barbara,visiting Rotarian Dave Harris & Tom  Jason, Barbara (again), Linda, Joe & Juan 

January 10, 2019

Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club President, Denny Lanctot, thanked AmandaGrace Krier (shown with her mother), for her talk at the club’s meeting at the Yardley Country Club on January 10, 2019. Denny presented her with a Robert Morris mug, as a token of appreciation.

AmandaGrace, a student at the Community College of Philadelphia, talked about mental health and suicide prevention. She explained that her interest and concern was the result of the tragic loss of her cousin, an 18 year-old athlete who struggled with his mental health after a traumatic brain injury in high school. Shortly after his suicide she became an ambassador for The Peyton Heart Project, a non-profit organization that creates crocheted hearts that have inspirational quotes and a suicide hotline number attached. The yarn hearts are put in public places for people to find in their everyday lives. She said that hearts have shown up a far away as Australia.

She said she is expanding her suicide prevention advocacy platform through participation in the Miss Bucks County and Miss Philadelphia Pageants that are organized by the Miss America pageant.  She said that she knows this isn’t the most conventional way to bring attention to her platform but after a lot of thought she said she feels that this is the best way to go at this time. To compete, she said she will have to raise $400 to support the pageant’s platform, The Children's Miracle Network. That organization helps fund local children's hospitals and she said that her donations will go to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and to Penn State’s Children’s Hospital in Heshey. Donations by check may be made to her and sent to her at 22 Hope Road, Levittown, PA19056, or an online donation may be processed through https://www.missamericaforkids.org/Contestant/Amandagracekrier. Online donations to the Peyton Heart Project may be processed through http://www.thepeytonheartproject.org.

December 31, 2018 

We all are saddened by the passing of 99 year old Sam Snipes. But he was a treasure of the community who encouraged and enlightened us all with his dedication to all that is good and right.

Sam Snipes, Paul Harris Fellow, January 3, 2013 

December 6, 2018

...the only active farm in Bristol, PA

 Mike Murray (left) was thanked by Pres. Denny Lanctot for his presentation at the club meeting at the Yardley Country Club. Mike has started, in Bristol, Noahs Dove Farm, a hydroponic farming business that produces various herbs, greens and micro greens and herbal teas. Mike noted that the growing process uses no herbicides nor toxic pesticides and the growing season is 365 days due to the growing being all indoors. The process consumes 85% less water, 90% less land and 95% less fuel when compared with standard farming. The flavor of the food is very intense and the products have great nutritional qualities. Mike had samples for everyone and all agreed as to the excellent flavors. As a start-up, he currently is offering the products to local restaurants and caterers and specialty grocers and farmers markets. He has a presence at the Yardley Indoor Winter Market on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month through April 20, 2019, from 9 to 11:30 AM. Mike can be reached at 215-650-3059. The website is noahsdovefarm.com.

 And speaking of food, the club members enjoyed an excellent buffet provided by the Yardley Country Club!

December 1 & 8

Salvation Army Bell Ringers

Hal Long was one of serveral members of the club who rang bells and collected donations for the Salvation Army's Christmas donation drive. The location was at the JCPenny store entrance of the Oxford Valley Mall.

December 1, 2018

Morrisville's Winterfest 2018 - Concessions by Rotary at the Morrisvile School High School!

 Open for business 

Service with a smile!

November 29

New Member Inductions and Tour of Valley Day School

 Dave Czarnecki (left), District Membership Chair, inducted Mike Rosso (center) and Ron Hall into the club.

Dave offered a number of ideas on recruiting new members and welcomed Mike and Ron into Rotary.

Dr. Ron Hall, Executive Director of the Valley Day School, explained the school's role and operation in teaching and training its students. Advanced classroom technology is especially important in helping to keep the students engaged. Many have attention issues and find standard classroom protocol very difficult. The interactive gym, allowing students' freedom of physical movement as they are taught various subjects, is a first in the country. The club members and guests were treated to a delicious buffet dinner prepared by the school's kitchen staff and afterwards enjoyed a tour of the school and had an opportunity to try out the advanced holographic computers in the computer lab. 

November 8, 2018

District 7430 Assistant Governor John Ortolf talked to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at its meeting on November 8 at the Yardley Country Club. His subject was The Rotary Foundation, which is one of the very top-rated charities in the world. As John explained, the mission of the foundation is to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.

Its programs focus on PolioPlus that is close to eliminating polio in the world, providing graduate-level Peace Scholarships to equip people with knowledge and skills so that they can be effective in promoting peace wherever they find opportunity, and extensive grant programs that support local and global service projects that typically address education, disease, peace, clean water, sanitation, hygiene, protection and saving of mothers and children, and helping to develop local economies.

Funding is through donations by individual Rotarians, fundraisers by clubs and districts and others. In the case of the fight against polio, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided great support along with partners including The World Health Organization, UNICEF, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), national governments, local health workers and others.   Anyone interested in donating directly to The Rotary Foundation can go to rotary.org/give.

President Denny Lanctot gave John Ortolf (left) a Robert Morris mug as a token of thanks for his presentation.

November 8, 2018

Rotarians meet for lunch

Claude Magnani (center), Denny Lanctot (right) and Hal Long (not shown) had lunch with Barry Vannauker at the Garden of Eatin and gave him a framed picture of the Morrisville Borough's recognition of the club's 90 years of service. Barry is a Past President and long time member has been unable to attend meetings regularly because of health and the passing of his wife, Marvine. It was good to see him out and about.

October 25, 2018

Joe Caracappa of the law firm Jackson, Cook, Caracappa & Scott, spoke to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at its meeting at the Yardley Country Club. He focused mainly on the process of selecting judges with respect to election vs. appointment and the impact of "activest" vs. "originalist" judges, President Denny Lanctot (right) presented him with a Robert Morris mug as a token of appreciation for his talk. 

October 15, 2018

Morrisville Borough Council Commends the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club for its 90 years of service to the Morrisville community

October 13, 2018

Rotary thanks the Morrisville-Yardley Area community for supporting the Country Breakfast. It also thanks the Boy Scouts and their leaders from Troop 3 for their excellent help serving and "bussing".

October 11, 2018

Morrisville United talks to the club about the opioid crisis and what it is doing in the Morrisville Community, including organizing parades and information exchanges in Williamson Park to raise awarenmess and providing 24-7 help to those in crisis and to the families in negotiating access to rehab and health care services. Call Recovery Placement Specialist Elvin Colon at 267-257-1032

Left to right; Mr. & Mrs. Hal Wilcox (Exec, Dir.), Rotary President Denny Lanctot, and Mr. & Mrs. Alan Stec.

September 27, 2018

Robert Ziff (left), of Avanti Benefits in Morrisville, spoke to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at its regular meeting at the Yardley Country Club. He talked about healthcare plans, coverage and costs. He pointed out the many problems with the current system and suggested that Medicare for everyone might be a better option. He was thanked by President Denny Lanctot for his talk,

September 22, 2018

Supporting the Salvation Army Levittown Community Corps Center's 120th year celebration

September 15, 2018

Participating at Yardley Harvest

September 13, 2018

Governor's Award Presented to Past President Babara Nuzzolo, for her leadership of the Club's achieving Governor's Award status in the 2016-2017 Rotary Year.

Presented by Assistant District Governor John Ortolf. (Current Club President Denny Lanctot in the middle) 

September 2 & 3, 2018

 Great to be a part of Lower Makefield Community Pride Day September 2! Also had the Rotary Hot dog stand at Morrisville's Labor Day Picnic the next day.

August 23, 2018

 Mary Auker and Kate Sweeney of Cops ‘n’ Kids Delaware Valley, received Robert Morris cups from President Denny Lanctot as a token of appreciation for their presentation to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club about Cop ‘n’ Kids. Cops ‘n’ Kids is a program to get books into the hands and homes of children to encourage literacy. Books come from local book drives. Volunteers clean, label and sort them and then transport and distribute them to various local community events and schools. There are various reading programs led by volunteers from local schools, police and fire departments and others. Currently they are seeking more storage space and a permanent home for the organization. More information can be found at www.copsnkidsdelval.org or contact Mary Auker at 610-462-5436.

Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program is a national initiative founded by Julia Burney Witherspoon, a police officer from Racine, Wisconsin, who discovered a warehouse full of children’s books when responding to a burglary alarm. She realized that books could be valuable in engaging children during domestic calls or local patrols so she began distributing books from the trunk of her police car. Twenty years later, there are now more than 75 chapters of Cops ‘n’ Kids in the U.S. and around the world.

August 9, 2018

District Governor, Cindy Hornaman, Visits Club

Cindy gave a lively talk, in the vein of Rotary International's theme for 2018-2019, "Be the Inspiration". She recognized the club for its local service projects, noted the support available to the club from the District, described how the club can benefit from the Rotary Foundation grant programs and gave an update on the fight to iradicate polio from the face of the earth, Only two countries remain uncertified to be polio-free but she explained that the fight must continue because an outbreak is only a plane-ride away. Rotarians have raised over $1.7 billion since 1985 and the Gates foundation has been a vital partner. Bill Gates pledged to extend its 2-to-1 match up to $50 million in donations from Rotary for each of the next three years. The resulting $450 million will be a large part of the $1.5 billion needed to reduce polio cases to zero worldwide.

President Denny Lanctot thanked Cindy and gave her a Robert Morris cup as a token of appreciation. 

August 8, 2018

Morrisville's Grandview Elementary Education Garden Steering Group meeting

 Morrisville's Grandview Elementary Education Garden Steering Group meeting. Great progress thanks to reps from the School Board, Bucks County Technical High School, Ivin's House Resource Center, 21st Century Grants, Snipes Farm and Education Center and the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club.

August 7, 2018

National Night Out in Morrisville

Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club sponsor's Information Booth (Including promotion for April 28, 2019 Yardley Car Festival)

July 26, 2018 

Jonathon Snipes, Jr., spoke to the Morrisville-Yardley Rotary Club at its July 26 meeting at the Yardley Country Club. Jonathon noted that DNA research has revealed how very close the human genome is to other animals and even plant life.  He explained that the Snipes Farm and Education Center, of which he is the Principal, strives, through various farm projects and camps for children and adults, to teach the interdependence of all living things and the importance of sustainable farming. The Snipes Farm offers and supports several local programs to assist people who are food-insecure, including Small Farmers Markets where healthy farm products are priced to the affordability of residents with limited resources. Rotary President Denny Lanctot (right) presented a Rotary William Penn mug to Jonathon in appreciation of his talk. For more information go to www.SnipesFarm.org.

New Rotary Year to Focus on Education

July 12, 2018

At the club’s meeting at the Yardley Country Club, President Denny Lanctot outlined the plans for the coming Rotary year which include a heavy emphasis on service projects that support education, both in the Morrisville and the Pennsbury schools. Denny welcomed guest Damon Miller (right), President of the Morrisville School Board, who was very supportive and offered a number of helpful suggestions regarding working with the Morrisville School District.

The club plans to continue providing financial and “sweat equity” support of the Learning Garden at Morrisville’s Grandview school which Rotary, the school district and local volunteers worked to install a couple of years ago. Another program is “Camp Neidig”, an extended weekend leadership development camp for high school juniors. The club will play the costs for two Morrisville students. (Those interested should contact the school counselors or any Rotarian.) Periodically the club will be honoring a Morrisville student for his or her academic achievements and service to the community. And a Rotary Scholarship will be awarded to a graduating Morrisville high school senior. Distribution of library books, dictionaries and thesauruses again will be made to selected classes in both Morrisville and Pennsbury elementary schools. Also, presentations of the Rotary 4-Way Test will be offered.

Other community service projects will include continuing volunteering at the Trenton Areas Soup Kitchen, being one of the sponsors of Morrisville Night Out, ringing bells for the Salvation Army, presenting the Morrisville Community Easter Egg Hunt and serving as Rotary Canal Tenders for the Friends of the Delaware Canal,

To defray the expenses of these projects, the club will continue to offer to the community its Country Breakfasts, the Yardley Car Festival and food stand offerings at various venues throughout the year. It also is considering other fund raisers that will provide fun for the community and support for the service projects..

June 28

At a meeting at the Garden of Eatin, outgoing President Barbara Ann Nuzzolo summarized the District and RI citations and awards the club qualified for the past Rotary Year. Incoming President Denny Lanctot thanked her for her excellent leadership and hard work that resulted in a very successful year.

June 21 Passing the Gavel at the Garden of Eatin

   This was the official "Passing the Gavel" from outgoing Presidentt Barbara Ann Nuzzolo to incoming President, Denny Lanctot. Denny presented, on behalf of the club, a "thank-you" clock to Barbara for her very successful Rotary year. Doug Miller, Director of Pennsbury Manor, was the speaker of the evening, wrapping up his series on William Penn and his influence on government that continues to the present. 

The winner of the raffle for the  Round of Golf donated by the Highlands Golf Club in Yardley was drawn by by Doug and the winner was Rotarian Juan  Proano.

April 23

THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED MAKE THE April 22 CAR FESTIVAL A SUCCESS!

Major Sponsors: McCAFFERTY AUTO GROUP,  PERUZZI AUTO GROUP

Festival Sponsor: TEAM TOYOTA.

Road Rally Sponsors: NON SOLO PASTA, GREYSTONE FINE FOOD & SPIRITS AND BOWMAN'S TAVERN.

Car Clubs and owners including THE BRITISH MOTOR CLUB OF BUCKS COUNTY.

The Vendors, Program Booklet Advertisers and Door Prize Donors.

HORIZONS ADVERTISING for the website www.MyCarFestival.org. (It's still active. Click here)

MINUTEMAN PRESS OF MORRISVILLE for rapid printing of the program booklets.

Special Thanks to the BOROUGH OF YARDLEY and the YARDLEY POLICE.

And TO ALL WHO ATTENDED!

AND LOOK FORWARD TO A BIGGER AND BETTER EVENT NEXT YEAR!

April 19

Ivins Outreach Center in Morrisville speak to Rotary about cooperative projects.

(l to r) Charlie Forker (Staying Put project), Darletta Berry-Johnson (Executive Director), Elizabeth Sullivan (Intergenerational Coordinator), Denny Lanctot (Rotary VP, Ted Fletcher (Rotarian and Ivins House coordinator)

April 8

Rotary Canal Tenders and Friends help with Friends of the Delaware Canal's annual towpath cleanup.

March 27 Pennsbury Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary Literature Project - Thesauruses Donation

Barbara Nuzzalo, Chair, with Nora Goodrow, Juan, Proano and Tom Miller 

March 23  Morrisville Grandview Elementary Literature Project-Library Books Donation

Barbara Nuzzolo Chair. with Rotarians Claude Magnani, Nora Goodrow & Tom Miller

March 22, 2018, Herb  Klotz,speaker

Herb Klotz, Rotary District 7430 Membership Chair, spoke to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at its meeting at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club. Club President Barbara Nuzzolo thanked him for coming (a 1 ½ hour drive from his home) and gave him a certificate of appreciation and a Robert Morris cup. In his talk about membership, Herb highlighted the several clubs in the district that have grown, some very substantially. He cited variety in meeting frequency and format and patience when trying something new. Some clubs have taken two to three years to establish changes. He noted that most candidates for membership come from members themselves. Members should always be inviting friends, acquaintances and business colleagues.  As to retaining members, Herb cited three important things: having a friend in the club to talk with, having an assignment and becoming educated about Rotary. An excellent assignment is the Membership committee which encourages the new member to tap into his or her personal network of friends and colleagues. The club should encourage attendance at Rotary leadership conferences and subsidize the cost. He noted that Rotary is now open to different membership categories, such as corporate and non-profit organizations like the Morrisville-Yardley Area club implemented a few years ago. It is important, he said, to establish and maintain a public image as “people of action” through media articles, social media, mixers and other events.     

March 15, 2018 Diane Casey, speaker

Diane Casey, President of the Interfaith Food Alliance, spoke to the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club, at its meeting at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club. Diane thanked Rotary for its help in the acquisition of a freezer for the Food Alliance’s Family Backpack Center that is located in the Morrisville United Methodist Church. She talked about the people of faith and the 10 different faith communities that support the center who seek ways to educate people about the issue of food insecurity, advocate on behalf of those experiencing food insecurity, and serve those who are living food insecure. Currently there are dozens of families, who have been referred by the Morrisville School District, who come to the center twice each month to select supplies that include food products, diapers and cleaning and laundry supplies. One of the unanticipated benefits, she said, is the bonding and support that has occurred as families wait together for their turn to shop. In addition to getting to know the center’s staff, they get to know and support each other. Although there are more families that need to be served, Diane favors more centers in the area instead of expanding where the center now is so that the mutual bonding and support aspect is not lost.  

March 1, 2018, Barbara Simmons, speaker, club meeting at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club

Barbara Simmons, Executive Director of the Peace Center in Langhorne, spoke recently about the dramatic increase this past year in hate crimes and violence of all kinds and what individuals can do. She explained the “Pyramid of Hate” that has at its base micro-aggressions involving the classification of people according to stereotypes (racism, sexism), telling and laughing at racists jokes, etc., to discrimination in housing and jobs, to mass shootings, to genocide. For those needing to deal with conflict found in their daily lives, she suggested using Listening as a tool. That involves first centering yourself. You cannot deal effectively with conflicts with others while you are in raging anger. Second, focus on feelings by acknowledging the frustration you see in the other person. Then empathize by sharing a time in your life that is similar to what the other person is feeling. This lets them know you really have heard them. Then problem-solve together. Ask how you can help improve the situation and what you can do to ensure the situation doesn’t happen again. And assert your needs and seek cooperation. In the conflict resolution process everyone needs to feel that their needs are met.

February 28, 2018 Jerry Jonas, speaker, club meeting at the Garden of Eatin, Levittown.

Jerry Jonas (pictured with Club President, Barbara Nuzzolo), long-time local columnist and journalist for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer, spoke at a recent club meeting about his long and varied career that has included the writing of newspaper columns, cartooning and creating and directing radio and TV programs and commercials. He had many anecdotes to tell, from his delightful time working with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on a radio program he developed, to the hilarious making of a Ballantine Beer commercial for TV that involved  an erratic pitching machine, a thumb that was cut opening a can of beer and a minor league pitcher hit in the head by a large, swinging TV camera (no serious injuries).

Scout Night! January 25, 2018 .

Lew Mohr, Scouting coordinator, and Barbara Nuzolo, President, with certificates honoring local Boy Scout and Girl Scout leaders

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.

Cheryl Hamm, Ship Skipper of Scout Ship 2012 (the name of the Boy Scout group involved in Sea Scouting) talked about the history of Sea Scouting and described the current program. The scouts have use of two sailng vessels that are owned by a non-profit organization that was set up to provide the ships for the scouts.  William Schabert and Lake Ethridge, both Sea Scouts, described how they got involved, the things they have learned and their plans for the future, Lake has a goal of becoming a tugboat captain. Boy Scout District Chairman Bill Pitts, Troop 3 Scout Master, spoke about some of the key objectives of Scouting in helping the boys with 21^st century issues, He underscored the importance of Scouting in the development of values and principles in the quest to become better citizens. Dana Kuhns, the Council Field Director for local Scout groups, underscored the comment the development of good citizenship. Schuyler Janzen, Troop 10 Eagle Scout and Senior at Neshamminy HS, spoke of the value of Scouting to his planning for his future. His father, Chris Janzen, Troop 10 Scoutmaster and an Eagle Scout like his son, spoke of the importance of the Scouting experience in building good moral character. He noted that he is a former Rotarian and a Paul Harris Fellow and described the overlay of the goals of Rotary with the goals of Scouting in leadership development, volunteering and promoting high moral and ethical standards. Lew Mohr, long-time scout leader, was thanked by President Barbara Nuzzolo for arranging to have all of the scouts and leaders at the meeting.

Pictured below

From left to right   (front left) William Schabert and Lake Ethridge, (both Sea Scouts, Ship 2012).  (back left) Tom DeShields, District Advancement leader, Schuyler Janzen, Eagle Scout Troop 10, Chris Janzen, his father and Scoutmaster of Troop 10, Dana Kuhns, Council Field Director, Dave Burkhardt, Scout leader in Troop 46, Barbara Ann Nuzzolo, Rotary Club President, Dave Brown, District Commissioner, Lew Mohr (standing), District Vice Chairman. In front of Lew is Bill Pitts, District Vice Chairman. Bill Burgess (standing), Coordinator for Troop and Pack 3, John Waslensko, Scoutmaster Troop 3. In back is Laura Foulds, Assistant Advancement Chairman Troop 210, and sitting (front right) is Cheryl Hamm, Scout Ship 2012 Ship Skipper,  All are a part of the Tamanend District, Washington Crossing Council, BSA.

New Rotarian Dave Krahl Gives a Classification Speech about Hotdogs!

New Rotarian Dave Krahl gave a very interesting speech about himself and his professional career at a recent meeting of the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club. He explained that he develops simulation programs for other companies to assess the various factors involved in marketing and management decisions. To illustrate, he presented a simulation program he had written for the sales of hotdogs and how the club might optimize its profits when it operates the Rotary hotdog stand at various community events. He proceeded to show, for example, how the number of hotdogs placed on the grille at one time is a very important factor. Too many at one time will result in overcooked hotdogs that have to be discarded and too few result in wait times that cause some potential customers to leave. Depending on estimates of the size of the crowd and other factors, an optimized decision can be reached as to how many hotdogs the club should buy for any given event.

New Member Induction

New Member Dick Gagnier was formally inducted into the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at the club’s meeting of September 28, 2017, at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club. President Barbara Nuzzolo welcomed Dick on behalf of the club, and talked about the history and purpose of Rotary and the opportunities it provides for service, professional development, networking and fellowship. 

Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club at Yardley Harvest Day September 16, 2017

On a beautiful day in September at Yardley Harvest Day the Morrisville -Yardley Area Rotary Club engaged the public and informed them about what Rotary is and does. Upcoming events sponsored by the club were promoted, including the Country Breakfast October 7 and the Car Festival next April 15, 2018. Several prospective members and three potential speakers for club meetings were identified.

Pictured are Rotarians Andy Thompson, Joe Urbano and Dick Gagnier. Other Rotarians who were part of the team talking to the public during the day included Tom Miller, Denny Lanctot and Hal Long.

Four New Members Inducted

Four new members of the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club were formally inducted at the club’s meeting of September 14, 2017, at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club. From left to right, David Krahl, Nora Goodrow, Steve Ullrich and Dr. Bindukumar Kansupada. In inducting the new members, President Barbara Nuzzolo talked about the history and purpose of Rotary and the opportunities it provides for service, professional development, networking and fellowship. 

Dr. Bindukumar Kansupada gives his Rotary "Classification Speech"

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. 

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