Please support the Denville Arts Council! Brigitte Carucci and Vicki Harrison, the creators of the Denville Arts Council, work tirelessly to bring enjoyment, entertainment, local talent and lots of smiles to all who take advantage of the free events they bring to town. Their plans include a Mini Art Show, spring and fall Art in the Park events, the second annual Field of Flags in May, the first ever Denville Fairy Trail Walk, six Music in the Park concerts at the bandstand in Gardner Field and three Makers Markets at various locations. If you would like to be a participating artist, a sponsor or want to mark your calendar for the upcoming events, visit the website at denvilleartscouncil.org for all the details. Additionally, Vicki and Brigitte are bringing us the Garlic Festival on May 19th and the Feast of San Gennaro September 22nd. They are definitely two very busy ladies! Did I mention that they the owners of Two Girls Media and also proud members of Denville Rotary Club. Thank you Vicki and Brigitte for all that you do!
It's plain to see that Jesus is very happy to be the newest member of Denville Rotary and we are all equally as happy that he has joined our Rotary family. Jesus is the owner of El Mejicano Restaurant located on First Avenue in Denville where he recently hosted our successful first Meet and Greet gathering. We look forward to working together to further our endeavors in the community. Welcome Jesus!
Did you ever wonder what Rotary is all about? (No, there isn't a secret hand shake!) Are you interested in having an impact in the community? Are you caring and kind and mindful of helping others? Do you like social gatherings and making new friends? Join us on March 4th at 7pm at El Mejicano where you'll meet Denville Rotary members who will tell you about our history and our impact. Maybe we're the perfect fit for you!
The Joey Bella Memorial Fund, an all volunteer organization, was founded in 1988. It was established in honor of young Joey who left us way too soon. The fund helps individuals and families in and around the Denville area who need assistance covering health care and related expenses of a seriously ill child. They also help families obtain assistance through the NJ Children's Catastrophic Illness Act. Thank you Richard Yobs, who has worked with the organization since its inception, for sharing the history and some very heartfelt stories. Please help spread the word about the Joey Bella Memorial Fund and perhaps consider becoming a volunteer.
Congratulations and thank you to Emile Ayil! President Rick Rafferty presented Emile with his latest Paul Harris Recognition. For his generous contributions to the Rotary Foundation, Emile is now a Paul Harris Plus Five Member. Wear your pin proudly Emile!
The Police Unity Tour was founded in 1997 with 18 officers pedaling over 300 miles to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington DC bringing awareness to Police Officers who have died in the line of duty and to honor their sacrifices. May 9th, 2024, marks the 28th anniversary with well over 3,000 police officers participating in this rigorous and emotional event. Among the riders will be Denville Police Department's Officer Michael Ambrose, Officer Julian Melahn, Officer Vincent Fisher and Sgt. Dennis Subrizi. Denville Rotary commends their valient efforts with a generous donation in support of "Denville's Finest". Gentlemen, have a safe and memorable ride! Pictured on left is Ofc. Michael Ambrose and on the right is Ofc. Julian Melahn.
It's always a special day when we welcome new members to Denville Rotary and today it's twice as special as we induct two new very enthusiastic members. Meet Kristan VanDerMeer and Christine Rowe. Kristan (first photo) left the corporate world to start her own business, KVDM Consulting LLC, located in Denville with a focus on financial / life skills and leadership. Christine (second photo) is employed by M&T Bank as a universal banker located in Denville. Christine was previously a member of Randolph Rotary. Welcome to our Rotary family! (Pictrued with our newest members is Tony Toriello, Membership Chairperson.)
It was such a pleasure and an honor to have Jeannie visit Denville Rotary. She always brings her smile, sense of humor and a wealth of knowledge wherever she goes. Accompanying her was Herb Hamilton, Assistant Govenor. Jeannie joined Madison Rotary in 2007 serving in many leadership positions including president. She has served in numerous district leadership positions including Assistant Govenor and she is the recipient of many awards and recognitions. Jeannie is currently serving as District Govenor Elect. To learn more about Jeannie's very impressive service to Rotary and community, please visit https://njrotary.org/documents/en-us/cccca203-37af-464b-9103-458770783ae4/1
A very big heartfelt thank you goes out to the Academy of Perfoming Arts Vocal Group located at Morris Knolls High School. This very talented group of vocalists joined us for lunch at the Village Restaurant and treated us to some festive tunes. What a wonderful way to ring in the holidays!
OH WHAT FUN IT IS .. to party with Denville Rotary! We packed the house at Ravello's with good food and spirits, amazing dance moves, awards and most importantly, good friends and friends of friends. Let's not forget the highlights of the evening. Mayor Tom Andes was presented with Rotary's highest award, the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Recognition, for his years of many outstanding contributions to the community and his unwavering support of Denville Rotary. Also, Deacon Frank Vezzuto was presented with Rotary's Vocational Service Award for promoting high ethical standards and furthering the ideals of community service. Both of these honors are very well deserved and we thank them for their many years of service. (Please take a look at the Holiday Gala photos under the Photo Album tab below.)
Pictured are President Elect Betsy Roberts and Past President Tony Toriello (aka party planners)
Pictured below is Mayor Tom Andes, Mrs. Sharon Andes and Rotarian George Hrobuchak
Pictured below is Rotarian George Hrobuchak, Deacon Frank Vezzuto, Rotarian Mrs. Diane Vezzuto
Gay Hotalen, LPC, is one of Denville Rotary's newer members bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in mental health services. Gay earned a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Kean University and completed her Graduate Studies at Seton Hall University specializing in Vocational Rehabilitation. She has a long standing career in Mental Health, including 44 years at Atlantic Health working in the area of Behavioral Health. Gay is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor, a CAP Facilitator (Child Assault Prevention) and is working towards her Tobacco Cessation Certification and NJ Gambler Specialist. Gay, along with Tom Vitiello, CPRS, (Certified Peer Recovery Specialist) opened the Sun Valley Wellness Center on Main Street in Denville. Please visit SunValleyWellnessNJ.com or call 973.993.6088 to learn about the extensive services they offer. Pictured are Gay Hotalen, LPC, and Rick Rafferty, President Denville Rotary.
Not only is Denville Rotary all about service to others, service to community, networking, fundraising, caring and kindness, we also like to share fellowship and fun times! Are these things important to you? If you have an interest in joining us, contact Tony Toriello at ttoriello@yahoo.com to chat about how you can become involved. (The men had their party too.)
Hundreds of enthusiastic visitors came from near and far to enjoy the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Denville Rotary's iconic Santa Land and Santa is now awaiting wide eyed happy children to share their wish list. Dignitaries welcomed the crowd, holiday songs were sung, the tree was lit, hot chocolate and cookies were served and all is merry and bright! Everyone is welcome to visit Santa Land anytime of day, but to chat with Santa, come weekdays from 4-7pm and weekends from 1-6pm. (Take a look at the pictures in the Photo Album section below.)
THIS IS YOUR REMINDER ...
Don't miss out on the festivities at Denville Rotary's Annual Tree Lighting Event this Saturday, November 25th, at 6pm. Santa Land is all decked out and ready for Santa's arrival on Sunday, November 26th, following the Holiday Parade. On December 2nd and 3rd and then December 9th through the 23rd, Santa will be sitting in his chair waiting for all the children to visit him on weekdays from 4-7pm and weekends 1-6pm. Happy Holidays To All!
Jojo may look like a big mush as she's loving it up to Detective Travis Dean, but she is so much more. Jojo is Detective Dean's partner in the duties he performs for the Morris County Sheriff's Department. She is extensively trained and very disciplined in her response to commands. Detective Dean is also extensively trained as he is a member of an elite group in the State of New Jersey on call for bomb threats. Earlier this year Detective Dean was honored by Sheriff James Gannon at the 2023 Annual Medal Day Ceremony for outstanding achievement and life-saving measures. It was a real treat to have Jojo and Detective Dean join us at our weekly luncheon!
It's that time of year already! We're only two weeks away from the formal opening of Denville Rotary's iconic Santa Land so Santa's helpers are hard at work. Mark your calender for Saturday, November 25th, 6:00pm and join us for our traditional Tree Lighting ceremony with carollers, hot chocolate for the children, local dignitaries, Morris Knolls Academy of Performing Arts Vocal Group and of course the count down and tree illuminaton. See you all there! (Here's a special thank you to the Morris Knolls High School Interact Club for lending a helping hand with our preparation.)
There wasn't a seat to be had when Morris County Sheriff James Gannon spent time filling us in on his extensive perosnal background as well as the many incredible initiatives and responsibilities of the Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Gannon was entertaining, informative and is a true leader. We are grateful for his many years of service to Morris County.
This past weekend was a spooky fun time at the Morris Knolls High School Interact Club's Trunk or Treat event. President Rick Rafferty and Rotarians Bernadette Lindsay and Jessica Lindsay participated handing out treats to little ones from Rick's spidery trunk.
Rotary is all about sharing and caring and giving. There is such waste as billions of dollars worth of medical supplies sit unused or are thrown away every year. Mission MediGive is working with MedShare and Denville Rotary to collect medical equipment and supplies that will be donated and re-used where they are needed. The Medical Equipment Drive is being held on Saturday, October 21, 2003 at Morris Knolls High School 10am - 2pm. For more information please contact Brooke Ogilvie at bogilvie44@gmail.com.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Your very thoughtful donation can play an important role to women receiving breast cancer therapy. Please give if you can on October 18th at Denville Municipal Building. See details on the flyer. Appoints are preferred but walk-ins are welcome!
We just love the occasional off premise meetings. This past Thursday brought us to a wonderful culinary delight at Cafe Metro on Diamond Spring Road. Friends gathered and learned so many interesting facts about the history of Denville from Vito Bianco, Director of the Denville Historical Society. Stop in the Denville Museum and take a look around and, if you'd like, you can arrange for a private tour. Thank you, Vito, for a very interesting presentation.
Pictured is Vito Bianco.
Tom Vitiello is President of Sphere Construction Group, founded in 1986, located right here in Denville on East Main Street. It was very impressive learning about their multifaceted commercial projects which span Southern New York, Eastern Pennsyvania and New Jersey. A recently completed project is the four story Carrino Plaza located in Newark. It is beautifully constructed and landscaped, houses sixty senior apartments and ground floor retail space. To learn more about Sphere Construction Group you can reach out to Tom here, tom@sphereconstructioncorp.com. In addition to being a dedicated professional, as you can see, he brings a special fun loving element to Denville Rotary!
Let's give a warm welcome to Denville Rotary's newest member, Dennis Ng. Dennis is a co-owner and consultant for Chuang Tzu Journey Data located in downtown Denville. Now that Dennis is a member of our Rotary family, we look forward to his active participation in our many events and fundraisers. Pictured is Dennis and his sponsor and Membership Chair Tony Toriello.
What a pleasure it was to have Dr. Steven Forte, Superintendent of Schools, join us for an afternoon meeting! Dr. Forte has served as Superintendent of Denville Township Schools since 2014 and he has much to be proud of. Our schools rank in the top 20% of NJ schools for math and reading proficiency with a student/teacher ratio of 10:1. Dr. Forte spoke about the updated curriculum, woodworking program, building improvements, the operating budget and reserve funds, maintaining faculty and staff and recruiting new hires, class three resource officers, how the district is planning for the possible increase of students as a result of the new housing developments currently under construction and those planned. This is just a sampling of Dr. Forte's discussion. If you missed this meeting, you missed a lot. Thank you Dr. Forte! (To sign up for the school newsletter email sforte@denville.org. Please click on Read More to view Denville Public Schools Fact Sheet.)
Denville Rotary and Denville Sunrise Rotary once again joined forces for our Annual Dictionary Project. We were greeted with lots of smiles and enthusiasm at both Riverview School and Lakeview School where dictionaries were distributed to every third grade student. It's so heartwarming to know that in this age of a constant on-line existence, the students are still very excited to receive a dictionary in hand. This is always one of our favorite projects!
The weather could not have been better with a clear blue sky and mild temperatures. It was the perfect day for an off-site outdoor meeting at Diamond Spring Brewing Company (thank you for hosting us)! It's nice to spice it up a bit and do something a little different. Pizza and salad were ordered from Denville Pizzeria and of course individual beverages from the brewery were a real treat! We love supporting our local businesses. Thank you to new members Bernadette Lindsay and Jesse Lindsay for introducing us to their business, North Capital Funding.
Bugles Across America was founded in the year 2000 by Retired Marine, Tom Day. The mission of this organization is to sound a live rendition of "Taps" for verterans by a bugler. BAA provides this honorary service at no cost to the verteran's family. It is strictly a volunteer organization. Larry Schillings, BAA NJ State Director, explained the details of the ceremonious presentation of "Taps" and the presentation of our country's flag to the family. For more information and to request a bugler, visit their website www.buglesacrossamerica.org. Pictured below is Larry Schillings, BAA NJ Director.
The newely formed Denville Arts Council (DAC) presented it's first Music In the Park concert with Denville Rotary and Sheeran Real Estate Group serving as sponsors. There was full cooperation from the weather setting the stage for a beautiful evening at Gardner Field. Headliner, Eric DeLauro of the Rat Pack Band, sang Frank Sinatra songs and encouraged the audience to display their own vocal abilities. Other young performers included the Lakeland Youth Symphony and students of Bach to Rock. Concessions were available in the snack stand and Denville Public Library provided games and crafts for the kids. Thank you DAC for this wonderful community event. A good time was had by all! Pictured from left are Rotarians Michael Boudway, Joe Paci, Nurys Paci, Patricia Agliata (singing), Betsy Roberts, Bill Roberts, Yasmin Pareti-Boudway and headliner Eric DeLauro. Click on read more for additional photos.
Rotarians Doug Cook of Pequannock and Ray Freeney of Madison joined us for lunch and gave a presentation on the End Hunger Program which provides packaged food for those in need not only in New Jersey but well beyond our borders. Volunteers from churches, scouts, corporations, service organizations, families, friends and more gather to work in an assembly line set-up to measure, package, weigh, seal and box up for shipping dry food pouches each meant to feed a family of four. The food is shipped to preselected organizations/charities where it is distributed to families. The Grains of Hope in Pequannock is one such program, having already packaged more than a million meals, they have two million in their sights. Stay tuned for more to come on End Hunger. Pictured from left, Ray Freeney and Doug Cook.
Denville Rotary extends a warm welcome to our two newest members. Tom Vitiello and Gay Hotalen. Tom is the Owner/President of Sphere Construction Group LLC and Gay is Therapist and Board President of Sun Valley Wellness Center of NJ. We look forward to your participation in our many service events and fellowship activities. Pictured from left are Tom, Gay and Tony Toriello, Membership Chair.
Members and friends of Denville Rotary are donating school supplies for local families in need of support as the new school year is just around the corner. Steve Dublanica of Denville Social Services will be hosting a parent/child visitation day where families can secure the items they need. We wish all students a very sucessfull and fun-filled 2023-2024 school year! Pictured from left are Rotarians Betsy Roberts, Mary Radicsh and Diane Grabowski.
Denville Rotary welcomes and supports new businesses to our community. Andrew Abdul, sole onwer of Flags and Jewelery, gave a presentation to us at our weekly luncheon meeting. He shared some details of his background, including community service projects, and gave a history of his business which he began in 1987. You can visit Abdul at his new location at 123 East Main Street. Welcome to Denville Andrew!
Denville Rotary and Sunrise Rotary are having their monthly Blood Drive on Wednesday, August 16th. This drive is a special celebration of the life of Allison Sillence who passed away following a courageous battle against ovarian cancer. Please see the flyer for details and donate if you are able to. Thank you!
Last Thursday's meeting brought us a very informative presentation by Judy Kroll and Colette Crescas of Friends of The Drew Forest. Drew Forest is a 53 acre parcel located on Drew University property in Madison and was in desperate need of restoration. Since 2008, numerous regional and national organizations joined forces to take on the challenge of restoring store this land to what is now a beautiful natural habitat. Not only is it a beautiful landscape, but is a biodiversity hot spot and is home to Buried Valley aquifer wells which four towns soley rely on for their drinking water. Drew University is offering this parcel of land for sale. Please visit their website to view before and after photos, read the story of its restoration and learn how you can help 'Save the Drew Forest' www.friendsofthedrewforest.org. Pictured from left, Collette Crescas and Judy Kroll
Welcome to our two newest members! Meet our first mother/daughter team, Bernadette Lindsay and Jessica "Jessie" Lindsay. Bernadette transferred to us from Patterson Rotary after moving to Denville. She relocated her business, North Capital Funding, downtown on Second Avenue. Welcome to Denville Township!
We also extend a warm welcome to Bernadette's daughter, Jessie. Jessie is back from Columbia following her tenure as a teacher and is now working as a Mortgage Processor with North Capital Funding. We look forward your friendship and service as active members to our club and our community.
Pictured from left are Denville Rotary President Rick Rafferty, Bernadette Lindsay, Jessica Lindsay and Membeship Chairperson Tony Toriello.
Exciting things happened at Denville Rotary on June 24, 2023. We joined together at Navona Restaurant celebrating the installation of incoming President Rick Rafferty and his Board of Directors serving the 2023-2024 Rotary year with PP Diane Vezzuto serving as Master of Ceremonies. As tradition holds, this is a very special time for us! That's not all though. Denville Rotary awarded Rotarian Dr. Andy Smith with the prestigous Paul Harris Recognition for his contributions and service to Rotary and to our community. A second Paul Harris Recognition was awarded to Dave Sipple, Chairman of the Denville Beautification Committee, for his nonstop efforts to keep Denville "flowering" season after season. A special thank you to Dave and his volunteers for literally getting down and dirty so our community remains bright and beautiful! To show our appreciation, we presented the DBC with a $1,000 donation to help with their ongoing plans. As things wind down, we offer a very special thank you to President Joe Paci and his Board for their leadership and dedication as we continued to grow and prosper. Looking forward, we wish the best to incoming President Rick and his Board of Directors in keeping the momentum going for another prosperous year!
(Please take a look at the Installation Photos under the Photo Album tab below.)
On this day in 1777 the United States approved the design of its first national flag. Today we honor its beauty and its glory!
Our 40th Anniversary Street Festival was a huge success! We had perfect festival weather, thousands of visitors, over a hundred vendors, numerous sponsors, a very lucrative 50/50 raffle, live music all day long, dancing in the street, a very busy beer garden, a variety of yummy food and treats, rides for the kiddies, and balloons, cotton candy and zeppoles. All this topped off with lots of smiles, laughter and the joy of children of all ages! Thank you to all who visited and enjoyed the day with us. Your support contributes to the many Denville Rotary community projects and donations delivered over the course of the year. Also, a special thank you to our club members, club families, club friends and all volunteers who worked so hard for many months. We want to give a very special thank you to Mayor Andes, Denville Police Department, Denville Fire Department and the Denville Department of Public Works. Please visit the Photo Album area below and click on Sreet Festival 40th Anniversary 2023 to view the photos.
Rotary's A. R. Spinola Scholarships were recently awarded to seven very deserving students for use in pursuing their higher education goals. We want to thank the Spinola family for their continued support in honoring "Spinny," who was a beloved Denville Township school administrator and devoted member of this club for many years. The scholarship recipients are Jessica Russo and Braden Loeffler of Morris Knolls High School; Meredith Hollister and Christian Barnard of Morris County School of Technology; Paulina Castaneda, Olivia Kelson and Benjamin Reinhart of Morris Catholic High School. Congratulations to all!
Turn back the calendar to1983 and you'll find Ronald Reagan was President, the final episode of M*A*S*H aired on TV, "The Right Stuff" won four Academy Awards, Cabbage Patch Kids were the most popular toy, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was the best-selling album, and the very first Denville Rotary Street Festival was held. Forty years later and we're still going strong!
Join us for good food and good fun on Sunday, June 4th, from 11a.m. to 6p.m. on Broadway in downtown Denville. Enjoy all-day live entertainment, fabulous food trucks, beer garden, unique merchandise for sale as well as professional vendors, 50/50 raffle, and lots of rides and inflatables for the kids, see your neighbors and meet new friends! Proceeds support Denville Rotary charity efforts locally, nationally and worldwide.
Denville Rotary would like to give a special thank you to Detective Scott Welsh for presenting a very informative program at our May 11th lunch meeting. He spoke about current events within the police department, the growth of Denville Township as seven parcels of land are being developed for residential living spaces and how this growth will effect the department, he spoke about school safety and discussed the requirements regarding the new conceal carry law in New Jersey. Detective Walsh answered many questions from those in attendance. It was such a pleasure to have one of Denville's finest join us for the afternoon! Pictured are Detective Welsh and President Joe Paci.
Rotary would not be in existence today if not for the vision of one man, Paul Harris, born April 19, 1868, he died on January 27, 1947. Paul was born in Wisconsin, grew up in Vermont, attended the University of Vermont, Princeton University and the University of Iowa where he received his law degree. He ultimately settled in Chicago where he opened his law practice. During a walk along the streets of Chicago's North Side with a fellow attorney, Paul was very impressed by the comaraderie among businessmen and wanted to find a way to channel it. He had a vision and on February 23, 1905 Paul met with three business associates to discuss forming a networking organization for local professionals. This became known as the first Rotary meeting. To learn more about the history of Rotary and it's evolution, seach rotary.org/history. You'll find Rotary's very first service project very interesting! Thank you Paul Harris! (Graphic credit Debbie Vance, Graphic Designer)
It was such a pleasure to be back (post Covid) at the Denville Senior Center hosting our Annual Senior Luncheon. Denville Rotarians were delighted to cook up and serve a delicious pasta, meatballs and fresh bread lunch with ice cream and fruit cup for dessert. We want to give a special shout-out to Denville Dairy and Anthony's Bakery for their generous donations. Mayor Andes and Assemblyman Brian Bergen joined us with a warm welcome from the sixty plus senior residents who enjoyed a fun afternoon with good food and lots of comradery.
Denville Rotary's annual Joint Service Club Meeting is being held on April 20, 2023 at the Village Restaurant in Morris Plains. Our featured speaker is Lt. Col. Alexander Burgos who is second in command at Picatinny Arsenal. This meeting is open to members of local service organizations with limited seating. Respond by April 7th to claim your seats.
In recognition of Denville Rotary's 76th Anniversary, several Past Presidents addressed our club highlighting the events of their year (or in some cases years) serving as president. What an enjoyable walk down memory lane! We were reminded of some historical events and shared lots of laughs revisiting the many fun times! Past Presidents pictured left to right are Bill Kader (1982-83), George Hrobuchak (2009-10), Betsy Roberts (1998-99), Mary Radicsh (2017-2018), Diane Vezutto (2018-19) and Rick Rafferty (2014-15). Missing from the photo are Patricia Agliata (2001-02 and 2020-22) and Tony Toriello (2007-08).
A warm welcome to Craig and Chrissy, owners of Diamond Spring Brewery! They delighted us with a very interesting introduction to their new business venture as well as a history of how it came to be. They have some fun events planned for the outdoor seating area which will accommodate about 100 patrons. Opening soon at the corner of Diamond Spring Road and First Avenue. Be sure to check them out!
Dana Foreman, Associate Director of Denville Community Media, presented a very informative program at our luncheon meeting. Dana is immersed in our community creating videos documenting the interesting present and historic highlights of Denville Township, including a video on the history of our iconic Santa Land. Find him on Facebook and view his videos on YouTube. *Notice the clock tower in their logo.
Service Above Self
Denville, NJ 07834
United States of America