Home Page | Rotary Club of Doylestown

Welcoming the New District Governor and A New Member!

Posted by Mark Hoffman on Jul 20, 2017

The Rotary Club of Doylestown met on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. At the meeting, the group celebrated the success of the past weekend's very successful car show! In addition, the group was joined by New District Governor Rick Gromis. The Club was also extremely pleased to induct our newest member, Inge Karlberg-Stannick.

Sponsoring Students at a Local Leadership Camp

Posted on Jul 05, 2017

The Rotary Club of Doylestown was pleased to sponsor six talented students from Central Bucks West at Camp Neidig Leadership Training June 16th – 19th.

Also in attendance were Rotary members Ed Suarez and Dave Woffendin. Dave has successfully coordinated the program for over 15 years (and who personally knows the program well, having attended the Camp himself in 1968!) and will pass the baton to Ed going forward. Thank you, Dave, for your extraordinary service!

The program has changed a lot since then: the students sleep in cabins instead of tents and women were not able to participate until 1990! Times have changed! The Central Buck students was very inclusive with four young ladies and two young men.

The Leadership event culminated with a graduation event and chicken dinner attended by all parents. The students have been invited to a Rotary meeting, coming soon, to share their leadership experiences with the Club.

A Visit from Dr. Jeff Buckwalter

Posted on Jun 09, 2017

At our Tuesday, June 6^th Sunrise Meeting, Jim Dowling introduced his friend and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Board Member, Dr. Jeff Buckwalter, the Fern Whisperer. Radiating warmth and enthusiasm for the subject of nature, Jeff shared his belief that exposure to the lush loveliness of the wildflower preserve helps to center people. And as an MD/ENT specializing in ears and how important they are to our ability to balance as we age, he sees the parallels between balance in people and balance in nature. He extolls the beauty of Bucks County, in general, and the Wildflower Preserve, in particular, and seduced us all into planning a trip to 1635 River Road to see the 800 specimens of native flora. We can even buy some for our own gardens – the wildflower sale is happening now.

Visit www.bhwp.org to get a virtual tour of this gorgeous outdoor museum.

Rotarians Honor Vets this Memorial Day!

Posted by Mark Hoffman on May 30, 2017

The Rotary Club of Doylestown was honored to participate in this year's Doylestown Memorial Day Parade!

See below for some great photos of Rotarians proudly driving local veterans the parade route.

Supporting Those In Need

Posted on May 24, 2017

It took a big slurp of coffee to swallow the news that there are 41,000 people living below the poverty level in wealthy Bucks County. That’s the number Joe Cuozzo, Development Director of the Bucks County Opportunity Council, left hanging in the air on Tuesday morning, May 23rd. With so many in need, the BCOC utilizes a vast team of volunteers, along with their 30 staff members, to make a dent in the poverty level. Here are some volunteer opportunities for our club*, or individual members:

Donate your vehicle, or the funds to support the Wheels to Work program directly. (Our club gave a grant for this program last year)
Provide job support such as coaching, resume writing/interviewing, childcare back-up, work-appropriate attire… to help clients achieve self-sufficiency
Lead a food drive for Operation Helping Hand, in March*
Donate hours to working at DVU in the Hope of the Harvest Garden (this can be one 2 hour work session or a weekly commitment)*
Partner with a participant in the Economic Self-Sufficiency Program (average commitment of $3000)*
Sponsor students for up to 3 years at BCCC through the Gateway Scholarship (average commitment of $3000-$12,000)
Volunteer as a Tax Preparer, if you have the skills

Last year, the BCOC helped 15 families leap out of poverty and the program continues to grow. Additionally, the organization helps feed the hungry with fresh food through their “Fresh Connect” program, respond to emergency housing/heating needs, find rides for people without vehicles, etc. They save 4 of our tax dollars for every $1 they spend, thanks to volunteers who pitch in with body, mind, soul and cold, hard cash, around the framework this excellent organization provides. And thank you, Jim Dowling, for bringing Joe to breakfast!

Jim Cuozzo and Rotarian Jim Dowling are pictured left-to-right.

Announcements were mostly about the car show. Next Tuesday morning, Bruce will be centerstage to answer all our car show questions. June 1 is the next car show meeting, at CB Ambulance, 7 pm, on East St next to 7-11.

Rotary welcomes VITA Education Services!

Posted by Mark Hoffman on May 17, 2017

The Doylestown Rotary "Sunrisers" met on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at Coach's. Jim Dowling introduced our invited guest speakers, Linda Wolfson and John Walko. Linda serves as the Executive Director of VITA Education Services. John is a volunteer and former Board President for VITA. Linda and John provided a very interesting look at their work supporting local efforts to increase literacy. VITA specifically support those in the criminal justice system; those who are unemployed, underemployed, and undereducated; those seeking support with English as a second language; and those seeking their GED. Linda and John impressed the group with their passion and dedication to serving our local community, sharing amny stories of how the power of their staff and volunteers has changed lives for the better through education and decision-making support.

To learn more about VITA, visit their website: www.vitaeducation.org

Pictured in photo (Left to right): VITA Volunteer John Walko, VITA Executive Director Linda Wolfson, Rotary Member Jim Dowling

Welcome, Donyale! Thank You, Florence!

Posted by Mark Hoffman on May 10, 2017

On Tuesday, May 9, 2017, The Rotary Club of Doylestown inducted a new member! Please welcome Donyale Showers, the Executive Director of Twining Village, a Continuing Care Senior Living Center in Holland, Pa. Donyale has already been active in Rotary activities for the past few months! Thank you and welcome, Donyale! Donyale is picture with Gail Linenberg, Club VP, and Bob Tessier, Membership Chair.

Also on May 9, 2017, the Club welcomed Florence Kowacska, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County. Florence informed us that 103 homes have been built and 40 repaired since 1990, when Habitat for Humanity came to Bucks County. In addition, two Re-Store locations collect and resell used appliances, cabinets, furniture, books and even offer some new items (furniture from Mealy’s and new cabinets from a local supplier), as a HfH funding source.
So – who gets these HfH homes? Families who demonstrate need, can pay a mortgage and can invest 200 hours of sweat equity into the job. As Florence said, it’s a “hand up, not a hand out”. For families who cannot qualify, there is an “Almost Home” program to help them fix credit issues and learn how to save money, among other things, so they can qualify for a home. Another program called “A Brush with Kindness” helps low income families preserve their homes. Volunteers fix minor exterior problems and some interior ones. The home-owners pay part of the cost, while Habitat funds the rest and volunteers do the work. This program will be expanded in upcoming years, since there is great need for it in our county. Florence encouraged us to participate in Habitat for Humanity by taking our used items to Re-store and by volunteering to help build or fix homes. Of course, donations are very welcome, too. A big thank you to Florence for an interesting and professionally presented program! Florence is pictured with club member Jim Dowling.

Our Romanian Friendship Exchange!

Posted by Mark Hoffman on May 08, 2017

Six Romanians and their spouses joined our club for four days last week as the first part of their visit to District 7430. Club members joined them at lunches and dinners. In between meals, Linda and Bob McCrillis took them to the Pearl S. Buck House, Fonthill Castle, Byers Choice, and Doylestown Hospital for tours. They also visited with Mayor Ron Strouse and Borough Manager John Davis for a discussion of Doylestown government, Judge Robert Mellon for a conversation about the justice system in our country, and Karen Langley for a visit at Doylestown Hospital and a talk about the many ways our hospital is unique. They also had some free time in Doylestown and in Peddlers Village.

Thanks to Janet and Lou Mintzer, Peter and Diana Quigley, Gail Linenberg, Amy and Dennis Parenti, Linda and Michael Lefevre, Max and Paula Rose, and Rick and Lori Millham for hosting the Romanian team.

All the Romanians loved our wonderful little town and the beauty of Bucks County.

Standing Left to Right: Paula Rose (wife of Doylestown Rotarian, Max Rose); Claudiu Pintea; Bianca Pintea; Stefania Stere; Linda McCrillis (Doylestown Rotarian); Ille Stoinel; Diana Cionchi; Alina Capraru; Ionut Capraru; Elena Iote; Alexandru Iote; Melissa Bond (Doylestown Rotarian); and Rich Newman (Doylestown Rotarian). Seated Left to Right: Doru Stere; Sorin Sferle

The Rotary Club of Doylestown 2017 Community Grantees & Grant Amounts

Posted by Mark Hoffman on Apr 03, 2017

For each of the last eight years, the Rotary Club of Doylestown has presented grant awards to community service organizations through a Request for Proposal process. During this time, we have awarded over $158,000.

In 2017, a total of $32,500 has been awarded to the following community groups and agencies:

A Woman’s Place-$1925
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County-$3000
Bucks County Association for The Blind-$1300
Bucks County Community College Foundation-$3000
Bucks County Housing Group-$3000
Explorer Post 135-$1200
Fiaria Project-$2575
Friends of Kids Castle-$3000
Lily’s Hope Foundation-$3000
United Way of Bucks County-$3000
Camp Discovery-$3000
Doylestown Fire Co. #1-$1000
Doylestown Youth Fishing Program-$1500
Shelter Box USA-$2000

New member Jonathan McSurdy with the book he authored

Posted by Gail Linenberg

A former Writer's Room Board Member and current Shriner's volunteer, Jonathan wrote a wonderful book for children about his lifelong interactions with the Shriners. The story focuses on the miracles that the Shriner's Hospitals perform for children with spine and head injuries, at no charge to the families. "Yes, Marisol, There is a Santa Claus" is the perfect read for children transitioning to the deeper meaning of the holiday spirit. Jonathan has thousands of copies and gives them away for free. Ask him for a signed copy!

New Member Andree Amelsberg

Posted on Feb 22, 2017

The Doylestown Rotary Club welcomes new member Andree Amelsberg.

New Member Ed Suarez

Posted on Feb 08, 2017

The Doylestown Rotary Club welcomes new member Ed Suarez.

Join us for the 2017 Four Way Test Awards Breakfast

Posted on Feb 10, 2017

Join us for the 2017 Four Way Test Awards Breakfast on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 7:30 a.m. at the Doylestown Country Club as we honor members of our community. For ticket inquiries, please contact Karen Lasorda at klasorda@buckscountybank.net or 215-589-6209.

Congratulations to the following Four Way Test Award winners:

Healthcare – Joyce M. Rivas
Education – Katherine Good Semisch
Arts and Culture – Alan Fetterman
Business – Heather Walton
Non-profit – Charles S. Sweet, PhD
Community Volunteer – Lynn Bush

New Member Bob Clemente

Posted on Feb 01, 2017

The Doylestown Rotary Club welcomes new member Bob Clemente (Bob is on the left).

Bob is very interested in community service and was sponsored by Jim Wagner (who is attaching Bob's Rotary pin). Congratulations, Bob and we look forward to working with you on community service projects for many years!

New Member Jonathan McSurdy

Posted on Jan 25, 2017

The Doylestown Rotary Club welcomes new member Jonathan McSurdy (Jonathan is in the middle).

New Member Mike Kendrick

Posted on Dec 06, 2016

The Doylestown Rotary Club welcomes new member Mike Kendrick (that's Mike in the middle).

Mike works for the Bucks County Herald and is also a referral agent for Class Harlan Realtors. He has served as the President of the Doylestown Business and Community Alliance, working closely with the Doylestown Revitalization Board.

2017 Community Grant Program - Now seeking proposals

Posted by John Halderson on Dec 01, 2016

The Rotary Club of Doylestown is seeking proposals from local organizations for Community Grants.

The grants are designed to meet outstanding needs in local organizations that provide services which benefit the citizens of Doylestown & the surrounding communities. Each organization may submit one request only. The Doylestown Rotary will evaluate all requests and make grants ranging up to $3,000. The grant recipients will be announced at the end of March.

Submission DEADLINE is January 31, 2017

Purple Pinkie 5K - Rotarians Race to Prevent POLIO

Posted by John Halderson on Oct 29, 2016

Why Purple Pinkie? Every time a child is immunized, their pinkies are colored purple to show that they are safe from this crippling and deadly disease.

The Rotary Club of Allentown West hosted a Purple-Pinkie 5K race on Oct 22, 2016. About 80 Rotarians, family members and friends raised over $15,000 for Rotary International’s world-wide efforts to eradicate Polio.

Three Doylestown Rotarians participated, along with our exchange student, Nicole Fankhauser. Nicole won the 5K in her age category and came in 6th overall. Our own Carol Ferguson and her network of polio survivors also raised over $2,000 to add to the fund. She and five other polio survivors presented the check at the start of the event.