Stories

The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls recognized the November Students of the Month. Dakota Loots from Roy C. Ketcham High School who is also an exchange student, Elizabeth Clark from Wappingers Junior High School, Cameron James from Evans Elementary School and Adara Cornell from Sheafe Road Elementary. Each student received a certificate of recognition and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble from the Rotary Club, a gift certificate from Longobardi's and a certificate from the Town of Wappinger and Village of Wappingers Falls. Congratulations to all!

We had the privilege of hosting Sheila Appel from IBM as our guest speaker today, and she delivered an insightful session on AI Intelligence! Sheila shared how AI is transforming industries, particularly through innovations at IBM, and how it’s impacting everything from business operations to social platforms. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the future of technology and how AI will continue to shape our lives. A big thank you to Sheila for sharing her knowledge and experience with us!

President Elect Dick Thurston and Past President Bela Alves is attending the Rotary District 7210 Foundation Celebration. Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls is receiving an Every Rotarian Every Year Banner, 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club Banner and the ShelterBox Hero Award. These awards and banners wouldn’t be possible without our members. Thank you!

Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls is proud to be hosting a winter Blood Drive on FRIDAY, January 10, 2025 at Wappinger Town Hall (20 Middlebush Rd, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590) from 9:30am to 2:30pm. Schedule an appointment here: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results.... Your donation can help save up to THREE lives! Thank you to the Town of Wappinger for the continued support of our blood drives!

The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls donated $150 to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). This contribution was made possible through the sale of custom Rotary suicide prevention T-shirts. Thank you to Maria Idoni, Area Director for coming to our meeting yesterday to talk about AFSP and accepting our donation. 

The AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. They focus on education, research, advocacy, and support for survivors of suicide loss.

Pictured below is Club President Todd Bowen, AFSP Area Director Maria Idoni and Club Mental Health Chair Jessica Miuccio.

 

Today, our guest speaker was Sheldon Stowe. He spoke about the amazing, rich history of Bannerman’s Island which was very cool! Thank you for speaking to our club members! 

Pictured below is Rotarian Joe Raffaele, Guest Speaker Sheldon Stowe and Club President Todd Bowen.

Wappingers Falls Rotarians Todd Bowen, Maureen Lashlee and Jessica Miuccio attended the RadioRotary Sponsor Thank You and 800th show celebration event that was held on October 19, 2024.

Wow, last night was an amazing, funny and successful comedy show! Big thank you to all of our sponsors, those who attended and Grand Slam Comedy! We hope everyone had a good time and we can’t wait for the next one!

New Member Alert! Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls inducted a new corporate member into the club yesterday sponsored by Rotarian Todd Bowen. We are happy to have Eddy Sloshower, Marketing/Sales for Pulse MD Urgent Care join us! Welcome!

Thank you to all of our Silver Sponsors for our Comedy Show! Thank you Dutchess County St. Patrick's Parade Committee, HV Fast Fab, Depew Energy, Pulse-MD Urgent Care Of Wappingers Falls, NBT Bank, Thomas Gleason Inc and Robert G. Shepheard Jr. CPA PC.

Less than one week until the Comedy Show! Let’s start thanking our sponsors! Thank you to our bronze sponsors: Dutchess ProPrint, Stone Bridge Antiques, MUSIC4LIFE, LLC, Isabel Alves, Real Estate, Proud Rotarian Dr. Dwight Bonk, Proud Rotarian Bill Halvey, Proud Club President-Elect Dick Thurston, and Proud Club President Todd Bowen!

The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls recognized the October Students of the Month. Abigail Kowalczyk from Roy C. Ketcham High School, Ashlynn Vonburg from Wappingers Junior High School, Andrew Merchan from Evans Elementary School and Sofia Morales from Sheafe Road Elementary. We also recognized September Student of the Month from Roy C. Ketcham High School, Ayden Jankowski. Each student received a certificate of recognition and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble from the Rotary Club, a gift certificate from Longobardi's and a certificate from the Town of Wappinger and Village of Wappingers Falls. Congratulations to all!

Students of the Month is back!! The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls recognized the September 2024 Students of the Month. Kieran Carpelino from Wappingers Junior High School, Bianca Triano from Evans Elementary School, Benjamin Schafranski from Myers Corners Elementary School and Victoria Mosquerra Vargas from Sheafe Road Elementary. Each student received a certificate of recognition and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble from the Rotary Club, a gift certificate from Longobardi's and a certificate from the Town of Wappinger and Village of Wappingers Falls. Congratulations to all!

Thank you to Beth Devine, President of the Wappingers Historical Society for being our guest speaker this past Thursday and sharing the history and renovations of the Mesier Homestead. www.wappingershistoricalsociety.org

The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls is hosting it’s yearly Coat Drive from October 7th to October 25th. Drop off any new or used coats to NBT Bank in Fishkill or Poughkeepsie, ReStore of Habitat Dutchess (1822 South Road, Wappingers Falls) and Straub, Catalano & Halvey Funeral Home (55 East Main St, Wappingers Falls). We appreciate your support and thank you for helping us warm the Hudson Valley! #7210WarmingHudsonValley

On Saturday, the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls hosted a concession stand at Bowdoin Park for the Cross Country Track Meet, which drew over 1900 athletes, and we thank RCK Interact for their assistance.

Big thank you to everyone who attended Touch a Truck, our sponsors, vehicle participants and vendors! We hope everyone had fun and we will see you next year!

Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls is proud to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention today. We stand together to raise awareness, offer hope, and show that mental health matters. Every step we take brings us closer to a world where no one has to feel alone in their struggles. Let's continue the conversation, break the stigma, and support those in need.

Thank you to Eddy Sloshower for being our guest speaker today to talk about Pulse-MD Urgent Care Of Wappingers Falls community outreach initiatives. We also look forward to Pulse-MD joining our Rotary Club!

Wappingers Falls Rotarians Lynn, Bill, Maureen, Joe, Todd and Howie assisted Fareground during there school supply distribution event that was held this afternoon. Rotarians handed out school supplies which included the string bags that we packed during our lunch meeting a few weeks ago.

Thank you to Jordan Bledsoe with Velocity Sports Performance- Westchester for being our guest speaker today! Velocity offers many programs which you can learn all about by visiting https://velocitywestchester.com. They have recently opened a location in Fishkill, NY this past January.

We are very excited to host our 2nd Comedy Show presented by us and Grand Slam Comedy! Come on out on Saturday, October 26th at the Knights of Columbus in Wappingers Falls and get ready to “Laugh your boo off”!! Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. Age 21 and over! Purchase tickets here wappingersrotarycomedyshow.eventbrite.com or ask any Wappingers Falls Rotarians.

Club President Todd Bowen, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls donated $250 to the Roy C. Ketcham High School Interact Club to support their upcoming community service projects! 

This donation will go a long way in helping our amazing Interact members make a positive impact in our community. During the lunch meeting we also heard the Co-Presidents plans for the new school year and they are very excited to start! 

Pictured below left to right: Interact Advisor Ron Remick, Interact Co-President’s Maria and Taylor, Club President Todd Bowen.

Thank you to Barry Lewis, Senior Public Affairs Officer with the Regional Food Bank for being our guest speaker today! Club President Todd Bowen, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls donated $250 to the c. Learn more: https://regionalfoodbank.net/.

** Rotary Club Donates Over 300 School Supplies to WCSD! **

We are thrilled to announce that the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls has donated over 300 school supplies items to Sheafe, Evans and Myers Corners Elementary Schools in Wappingers Central School District! This incredible contribution will go a long way in supporting students as they prepare for the new school year. Thank you to everyone who donated supplies! 

Pictured below is Club President Todd Bowen and WCSD Superintendent Dwight Bonk

We collected so much school supplies this year that we were able to donate a box full of supplies to Project Backpack. Project Backpack will be putting these supplies into backpacks to be donated to Gayhead Elementary School in the Wappingers Central School District.

Today, we were honored to have Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati as our guest speaker. He provided an insightful update on the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and their vital work in keeping our community safe. We're particularly excited about their Children Safety Program, which aims to educate and protect the youngest members of our community.

We’re proud to share that our club donated $102 to sponsor 30 children for this important initiative.

Thank you to the Sheriff and his team for their dedication and hard work! 

Club President Todd Bowen presented Dillon Copeland, Foster Care Home Finder with Together for Youth with a $200 check on behalf of the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls. Together for Youth mission is to Empower Youth And Families To Live Safely, Independently, And Productively In Their Communities. Learn more: https://www.togetherforyouth.org

Thank you to Lucy Tarantino, Development Coordinator from Arts Mid-Hudson for being our guest speaker today! There mission is to provide vision and leadership to support thriving and diverse arts in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Learn more: https://www.artsmidhudson.org.

Thank you for visiting our club Richard Mattocks, President of Rotary Club of Hyde Park!

Today’s guest speaker was Giovanni D’Addona, President of Project Backpack! It’s there mission to collect and distribute a years worth of school supplies to students in need! This is a perfect time to donate to the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls Back to School Supply Drive as over flow items will be donated to Project Backpack to support more Wappingers Central School District schools. Learn more about Project Backpack here: https://sites.google.com/view/pbp24/our-mission

Yesterday, District Governor Nominee Carrie Hernandez recognized Club President Todd Bowen for becoming the youngest club president in Rotary District 7210 history. Todd was 21 years old when he took over as President in July of 2023.

We are thrilled to announce that the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls has donated $200 to the Grinnell Library's Summer Reading Program! 

https://grinnell-library.org

Thank you to Dora Celestino, Community Educator with Council on Addiction Prevention and Education - CAPE for being our guest speaker yesterday! Learn more about CAPE: https://capedc.org

The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls and the American Red Cross would like to thank all the donors who came out today to donate blood. We collected 20 pints of blood which could potentially save 60 lives. Big Thank you to Rotarians Todd Bowen, Sue Bennett, Steve Crew, Darby Fabrizio, Nick Johnson, Bela Alves and Priscilla Shapiro-Bacchi for volunteering and participating in Rotary Day of Service. Big thank you to Town of Wappinger for hosting the blood at Town Hall.

The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls recognized the May Students of the Month. Sade Reyes from Roy C. Ketcham High School, Aaliyah Victor from Wappingers Junior High School, Evie Suarez from Evans Elementary School, Ryan Schafranski from Myers Corners Elementary School and Griffin Murphy from Sheafe Road Elementary. We also recognized Connor Hitt from Roy C. Ketcham High School as April Student of the Month. Each student received a certificate of recognition and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble from the Rotary Club, a gift certificate from Longobardi's and a certificate from Town of Wappinger and Village of Wappingers Falls. Congratulations to all and to all of our 2023-2024 Students of the Month as this was the last one for this school year!

Thank you to Nancy Dewitt with Pellegrino Healing Center for being our guest speaker yesterday and for kicking off Mental Health Awareness Month for us! Interested in learning more about Pellrgrino visit https://www.pellegrinohealingcenter.com. Pictured below is Club President Todd Bowen, Nancy Dewitt and Club Mental Health Committee Chair Jessica Miuccio.

Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls members proudly wore purple today to raise awareness for Foster Care Awareness Month. By wearing purple, we show our support for children and families in the foster care system, and our commitment to building brighter futures for all. Together, we can make a difference! Big shoutout to Berkshire Farm Center & Services for Youth for all of the work they do! #FosterCareAwarenessMonth #RotaryCares

Congratulations to the RCK Interact Club for hosting a successful Taste of Interact! It was an evening full of food, entertainment, raffles and Interact! This year’s theme was Hollywood and Rotarians were able to walk the red carpet!

Thank you to Jackie Muller for being our guest speaker yesterday. Jackie is the Founder of Dynamic Intervention and the President of the Wappingers Falls Business and Professional Association. Click to learn more about Dynamic Intervention: https://www.diwsny.com.

Introducing our newest and 30th Club Member! Randy Ross, Retired Teacher and President of the Spook Hill Park Foundation has joined the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls! Welcome to the club Randy!

The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls recognized the April Students of the Month. Keira Witchey from Wappingers Junior High School, Bryce Howard from Evans Elementary School, Seif Abujaber from Myers Corners Elementary School and Carolina Timothy-Tozer from Sheafe Road Elementary. Each student received a certificate of recognition and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble from the Rotary Club, a gift certificate from Longobardi's and a certificate from Town of Wappinger and Village of Wappingers Falls. Congratulations to all!

Thank you to John Midwood, Sales Manager with Emery and Web Insurance for being our guest speaker today.

New Member Alert! Kathy Bauer, Branch Manager of NBT Bank in Poughkeepsie has joined the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls! Welcome to the club Kathy!

Thank you to Dr. Eric Ashburn of Ashburn Family Chiropractic for being our guest speaker today! Rotarians learned about healthy lifestyles and reasons around back and neck pain. Pictured left to right: Club President Todd Bowen, Dr. Eric Ashburn and this weeks guest speaker coordinator Maureen Lashlee. 

Want to learn more about Ashburn Family Chiropractic, visit https://drashburn.com/about-us/

 

The Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls recognized the March Students of the Month. Nicky Gaetani from Roy C. Ketcham High School, Ariela Zhinin Alvarez from Wappingers Junior High School, Christian Hay from Evans Elementary School, Maverick Padavan from Myers Corners Elementary School and Josue Quezada Auquilla from Sheafe Road Elementary. We also recognized Aleena Gonzalez from Roy C. Ketcham High School as February student of the month. Each student received a certificate of recognition and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble from the Rotary Club, a gift certificate from Longobardi's and a certificate from Town of Wappinger and Village of Wappingers Falls. Congratulations to all!

Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls donated $750 to the Friends of Spook Hill Foundation to help them make additional purchases for the park. RCK Interact Club has also donated $250. Pictured below is Club President Todd Bowen and President of the Spook Hill Foundation, Randy Ross.