The Berkeley Heights Rotary Club is thrilled to announce the eagerly awaited return of its annual Pancake Breakfast, scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 8:00 am until noon. The event will be held at the picturesque Mount Carmel Hall, located at 56 River Road, Berkeley Heights. Prepare your taste buds for a morning of delectable delights, as the menu features a scrumptious array of fluffy pancakes, sizzling sausage, refreshing juice, and the finest blends of coffee and tea. This community-oriented event promises a delightful culinary experience for attendees of all ages. "We're excited to bring the community together once again for our beloved Pancake Breakfast," said Mike Higgins, Pancake Breakfast Chair. "This event has become a cherished tradition, providing not only a fantastic meal but also an opportunity for friends, families, and neighbors to connect in a warm and welcoming atmosphere."  In the spirit of fostering community spirit, the Berkeley Heights Rotary Club has set a suggested donation of $10 per person or $25 per family. All proceeds from the event will directly support the club's charitable initiatives, which include local community projects, scholarships, and international humanitarian efforts.  The Pancake Breakfast is not only a culinary delight but also a chance for the community to come together, share stories, and build lasting connections. The Berkeley Heights Rotary Club encourages everyone to mark their calendars, gather their loved ones, and join in the festivities on April 20th.  For more information, contact: the Berkeley Heights Rotary Club at berkeleyheightsrotaryclub@gmail.com or the Rotary Club website: www.bhrotary.com.

The 2nd Annual Berkeley Heights Rotary Club Luminary Project kicks off on November 15, 2022.  The local organizations participating in this year’s project are Boy Scout Troops 68 and 368, the Berkeley Heights Rescue Squad, the Berkeley Heights Community Gardeners, Girl Scout Troop 55, the Silver Liming Foundation along with the Rotary Club of Berkeley Heights.

The aim of the Luminary Project is to “Light Up the Heights” at dusk on December 24th by placing luminaries in front of residences. It is suggested that luminaries be placed at the curb approximately 10 feet apart. Luminaries can also be placed in driveways, sidewalks, etc.

Flyers will be distributed town-wide by the participating organizations in the latter part of November promoting the event. Luminaries are being sold in groups of 10 for $25 and includes bags, candles and sand – all delivered to your door in Berkeley Heights. Luminaries can be purchased online at bhrotaryluminaries.com.  All proceeds from the luminary sales will benefit the participating organizations and the Rotary Club of Berkeley Heights and allow all these groups to continue their good work in Berkeley Heights. Your anticipated support is greatly appreciated.

The Berkeley Heights Rotary Club is always seeking new and active members. If interested, please contact us at berkeleyheightsrotaryclub@gmail.com or visit our website at www.bhrotary.com.

About the Beach Sweeps

In 1985, COA launched the region’s first Beach Sweeps program to rid beaches of unsightly and harmful debris.  COA's Beach Sweeps is one of the longest running cleanups of its kind in the world.  The program has grown from 75 people at one site in 1985, to over 10,000 volunteers in 2018.  Volunteers gather from Raritan to Delaware Bays and along the ocean to clean beaches and waterways, as well as underwater sites.  They join as groups (community, school, business, and organization), families, or individuals.  Participants collect and record valuable data about debris, which is presented in annual reports and used to advance federal, state, and local programs to reduce litter.

Fish, whales, birds, and other animals often mistake litter for food.   As a result, animals get entangled in or ingest items, such as plastic bags, cigarette filters, and fishing line, with deadly results.  Cigarette filters mimic fish and have been found in the stomachs of birds and larger fish, blocking and affecting their digestion.  Also, the filters are made of plastic fibers and trap carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals that are introduced into animals’ bloodstreams.  
Moreover, plastic litter takes a few years to several hundred years to break down, thereby threatening wildlife for decades.  Litter in waterways can also foul boat motors and propellers, resulting in costly repairs.  Finally, littered beaches can ruin a day at the beach.  Garbage slicks and wash-ups close beaches to swimming and are detrimental to tourism and the coastal economy.

Who should participate in Beach Sweeps?

Volunteers of all ages. Children age 12 and under must be supervised by an adult. Registration is required. Register here!

How to get involved in Beach Sweeps:

• To participate in the Beach Sweeps first review the list of Beach Sweeps sites.
• Once you've selected a site, click here to register to participate!Registration is required.
• The event runs from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm. Volunteers can select a check-in time of either 9:00 am or 10:00 am. Event is rain or shine.
• Bring a face covering, gloves and a trash bucket (this helps to reduce the number of plastic bags used).
• Wear sunscreen and hard-soled shoes.
• Dress for the weather. Stay off dunes and respect wildlife.
• Volunteers can click here to learn more about becoming a Beach Captain.

If you have any questions about the Beach Sweeps please contact: 

Clean Ocean Action

732-872-0111

outreach@cleanoceanaction.org

Retired doctors in Finland vaccinate thousands against COVID-19

RI director and PolioPlus national advocacy adviser are responsible for an estimated 50% of vaccinations in their region

by Arnold R. Grahl 

As news began circulating in Finland in early January that COVID-19 vaccines could soon be approved, the nation’s health authorities cautioned an excited public that it would take time to distribute the vaccine supply and train enough people to administer them.

Retired doctors Matti and Virpi Honkala learned about the potential shortage of vaccinators and contacted their region’s medical director to volunteer their services in Raahe and the surrounding area.

After teaching in the New York City and D.C. areas for 13 years, April returned to the nation’s capital in search of a new chapter in her career. She began her time at C-SPAN as a receptionist before shifting gears into a community relations role.

While she’s been a member of the C-SPAN family for just over a year, April is no stranger to the public affairs network. She’s been an avid fan since growing up with her grandmother in D.C. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking with her nieces and nephews and teaching virtual Sunday school. When her TV isn’t tuned to C-SPAN, you can bet it’s turned to a good comedy.

This is a virtual presentation and guests/non Rotary members are welcome to attend.  Registration is required and can be done by clicking here.

By Omar Bortoletti, Endowment/Major Gifts Adviser for Zone 14

The Rotary Foundation reminds us constantly why we are here. It reminds us who it is we serve. It reminds us that these days, these hours, while we yet walk this earth – that this is our time and we must grasp it.” These were the words of K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, Trustee chair of The Rotary Foundation, during the recent major donor event organized by District 2060 in northeastern Italy.

Rotarians in Venice, Italy (under the leadership of District Governor Diego Vianello), had long planned to host Ravindran during Foundation Month last November, but when the pandemic persisted, we found ourselves organizing a virtual event in lieu of an in-person dinner to recognize new major donors.

Moving the event online offered certain advantages: due to the low-cost of a Zoom call, the invitation could be extended to more guests. In the end, 170 participants attended, including current and new major donors and bequest society members, current and incoming district leaders, and Foundation supporters from around northern Italy. In addition to Ravindran, other Rotary VIPs could connect from afar, like Trustee Sangkoo Yun from Korea and RI Director Roger Llhors of France.

One challenge with the virtual format we faced was how to make each of the 16 new major donors feel special and appropriately recognized, even though the traditional major donor pin and crystal could not be presented in person. Through the advance planning of my team of District Endowment and Major Gift Subcommittee Chairs, each donor submitted a photo of themselves carrying the crystal and wearing their pin. These were developed into an elegant, running slide show.

To add a personal touch, we accompanied the photos with a short quotation from the donor, describing what motivated them to make a gift to the Foundation this year. The result was a personal, heart-felt testimony of the very different reasons why Rotarians support our Foundation. Whether they gave to honor a loved one, or to meet a community need, or because of their trust in Rotary’s financial management and the impact of its areas of focus, each donor offered insight into their individual humanitarian values.

A bittersweet moment concluded the gathering when posthumous recognition was given to Ambrogio Locatelli, a long-time Rotarian who passed away just days after making a major gift to the Foundation. As recounted by his wife, Rotarian Mariangela Donà Locatelli, one of his dying wishes was for her to complete his commitment and create a named, endowed fund to support humanitarian projects. In honor of Ambrogio’s service and dedication to Rotary, the first annual Ambrogio Locatelli Award for Friendship and Solidarity was presented to Ravindran, along with a gift of 10,000 Euro to the World Fund from the The Rotary Club of Morimondo Abbazia in District 2050.

For the Locatelli family and all those present at the event, it was inspiring to witness that Rotarians, including those whom we have lost during this time, can continue to make a lasting impact in the world through their generosity to the Foundation.

Rotary and polio

Rotary and its GPEI partners celebrate a monumental achievement, say global eradication of wild polio is possible with the continued dedication and persistence of Rotarians

If you are interested in helping,  please email your specific donation offering to: bhbusinessandcivic@gmail.com.  Attention Rotary Club Virtual Silent Auction.  Send emails no later than Friday, May 15, 2020.

Rotary and the Gates Foundation extend funding match for polio eradication

The Interact student service club at Governor Livingston High School, which serves Berkeley Heights and Mountainside, is the largest and most popular club in the school. At a recent club gathering, club members  prepared, packed, and delivered needed food for the coming holiday season to the Hillside Food Bank (see photo).  This club, sponsored by the Berkeley Heights and the Mountainside Rotary Clubs, is guided by two outstanding teacher-advisors: Doreen Ladinski and Sharon Leahy.

On Tuesday, November 21, the club was visited by Berkeley Heights Rotary Club President Jim Ramentol, to present the Rotary Presidential Citation for 2016-17. This citation is awarded to Interact Clubs actively engaged in community outreach and service, and have carried out at least five specific projects in these important dimensions, including promoting international understanding, the annual Rotary Youth Leadership Award weekend workshop, fund-raising to eradicate polio in the two remaining countries where it remains present, and community service such as the Food Bank project underway on this day.  This is the tenth consecutive year that this Interact Club has been awarded the Rotary Presidential Citation.

(from left: Jim Ramentol, BH Rotary Club President; Interact Club Officers Rebecca Henderson, Sarah Lalevee, and Colleen Granelli)

Okay, so you've considered donating a unit of blood.  Pretty painless these days, and you get a snack to boot!  But what happens next?  Where does your blood go? Does it save lives?  How many from a single unit?  What about platelets--what are they used for?

At our next meeting, you'll meet Loretta Ferrara, of Atlantic Health Services and an expert in all things blood- and platelet-related!  We'll find out the answers to those questions, and more!

We all know how dramatically communications technology has changed in recent years… What about here, in Berkeley Heights? How are we taking advantage of these changes?

At our meeting on Wednesday, February 22nd, we’ll be joined by our town’s “communications backbone,” Nick Schiavo.  Nick is Chair of the Berkeley Heights Communications Committee. He’ll take us through the committee’s initiatives with the government, our high school’s TV studio, local businesses and community organizations, and how this committee of all volunteers is moving forward to highlight our town’s increasingly numerous activities and events. In brief, this committee has been adapting to these changes to bring clear, crisp, and timely messages to our town’s residents and key stakeholders.

The Communications Committee is now at a pivot point and is developing a strategy for the future, which Nick will takes us through, and seek our input.

Professionally, Nick is a CPA; he’s employed by a private foundation, so he knows the in’s and out’s of initiatives like this and has been tenacious in sticking with it to achieve success! (Nick’s also a tenacious racquetball player, and always brings his “A” game to the court. In the same way, he’s always brought his “A” game to township communications for nearly a decade!)

The Berkeley Heights Rotary Club is a great group of local business-people and professionals. We're here to make positive improvements in our community. We get together every two weeks for a friendly lunch and to decide what we'll tackle next. Meetings are open to anyone who'd like to roll up their sleeves for our township and its people. We support youth groups, seniors, students, and community-servers like our rescue squad, firefighters, and peace officers, plus educators, librarians, food banks, the homeless, and citizens at large. We're non-political, non-sectarian, and open to all.

Grown from a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948, the Paralympic Games is a major international multi-sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power, range of movement, limb deficiency, and even vision impairment. One of the most exciting Paralympic sport is Wheelchair Fencing.

At our next lunch-time meeting, on Wednesday, January 25^th, we’re going to learn the ins and outs of this sport, from an expert!  Dr. Don DeFabio, a former competitive fencer (saber) himself, is a Paralympics technical official, specifically for Wheelchair Fencing.

He’s also served as a chiropractic doctor for the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona for nine years and also for USA Fencing. Dr. Don is also the Chiropractic Physician for Drew University Athletics.  

At the community level he supports Our House, which provides housing and jobs for educationally and developmentally disabled adults, the Summit Area YMCA and Scouting in Berkeley Heights.

Frank Hubbard, Berkeley Heights resident and ROR volunteer, along with Lisa Liss, Director of Volunteer Services for Trinitas, visited the Berkeley Heights Rotary Club to describe what ROR is and has accomplished in the 27 years since its founding. 

ROR is an American not-for-profit organization that advocates for and promotes childhood literacy through a network of active, hands-on volunteers like Frank Hubbard across nearly five thousand pediatric clinics across the U.S. Trinitas is a major sponsor of this work in its New Jersey service area; Frank is one of the volunteers who regularly visit Trinitas's Elizabeth clinic, where they will offer donated children's books to families and--most important--offer to read to the children right here in the waiting room!

Frank, a semi-retired Episcopalian priest, loves his new "job," and it showed in his smile and the twinkle in his eyes as he related personal stories, often involving introducing a toddler or small child to their very first adult-read book! He has also helped bi-lingual parents use children's books to help improve their newly acquired English.The Rotary Club of Berkeley Heights meets regularly at The Chimney Rock Inn, 342 Valley Road in Gillette. Meetings are from 12 Noon to 1:30 pm sharp, on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays each month (major holidays excepted). Meetings, which include lunch ($20 cash or check, please), are open to all. For more information visithttp://www.bhrotary.com or call 908-447-6290.

Rotary is a civic organization--a global network of 1.2 million community leaders and volunteers with one aim: Helping our neighbors across the street and around the world. We have no other agenda.

PHOTO (left to right): Frank Hubbard, ROR Volunteer; Linda Sausville, Rotary Club President; Lisa Liss, Trinitas-Director of Volunteer Services

Mary Robinson, MA, CT, and Founder of "IMAGINE" (www.imaginenj.org) visited the Berkeley Heights Rotary Club at a regular meeting on November 18th. She explained that Imagine's mission is "to support children and families coping with loss and foster resiliency and emotional well-being for all those who grieve." Imagine provides free peer grief support groups for New Jersey children and their families year-round, and is currently serving over 200 children and adults every two weeks in peer support groups. Imagine has trained 75 actively involved adult and teen Volunteer Facilitators, and has also trained and educated over 3,000 teachers, parents, coaches, and youth in the past 3-1/2 years. (For more information on grief counseling, email "mary@imaginenj.org" or call 908-334-5723.)

The Berkeley Heights Rotary Club is a group of local citizens and community leaders dedicated to bettering humanity in our community and the world. All meetings are open. Lunch meetings are held at The Chimney Rock Inn, 342 Valley Road, Gillette, usually on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at Noon of each month. For more information call 908-447-6290 or visit us at BHRotary.com.

Photo (left to right): 
Linda Sausville, Club President
Mary Robinson, Imagine Founder
Fred DaVeiga, Club Member