Vocational Service is the Second Avenue of Service. No aspect of Rotary is more closely related to each member than a personal commitment to represent one’s vocation or occupation to fellow Rotarians, and to exemplify the characteristics of high ethical standards and the dignity of work. Liz Parker was selected from a field of outstanding applicants as the recipient of District 7475 Vocational Service Award. Elizabeth K. Parker joined Madison Rotary in February 1993, and has been a dedicated Rotarian ever since. Liz, as she is known, is an award-winning journalist and the owner, co-publisher and executive editor of the New Jersey Hills Media Group, which publishes 16 community newspapers covering about 60 towns in Morris, Somerset, Hunterdon and Essex counties in northern New Jersey. Liz has been involved with numerous professional and charitable organizations and has received many honors for her work. Click Read More for additional details.
Summer is coming to an end and for many people, fall is the beginning of the year. Back to school, summer vacations are over, weather begins to get cooler, etc. We are all involved in many organizations - have you asked yourself the question, should I do more, should I do less, should I find something different? When it comes to Rotary we hope your answer would be “I’ve been meaning to do more and now is the time to get started”. Fall is the busiest time of the year for Rotary. We have 12 service projects and events in the coming months as well as our weekly meetings. How many meetings, projects or events will you participate in. Rotary has relaxed its participation requirements, but is doesn’t mean you can be aRINO – Rotarian in Name Only. Minimally you should set yourself a goal, 6 connections a month, 4 connections a month or 2 connections a month. What is a connection? It is some contact with Rotary. Come to a meeting, participate in a service project, be involved on a committee, come to an event, volunteer an hour of your time, meet up with other Rotarians. If you need help getting to and from meetings let us know, we can help. We know some months they will be more connections, some months there may be less. Please choose Rotary as an organization in which you will be active.
On September 30th the Madison Club held its annual food drive under the leadership of Rotarian John Hogan and 15 additional volunteers. In all over 1600 pounds of food were collected and transported to the Interfaith Food Pantry. This is the time of the year when food donations dip and Madison's food drive event helps provide food for needy families. Thanks to all who participated and thanks to many community members for their donation of food to support this cause. Here is a link to a slide show of the food drive. Food Drive Link
Over 40 Rotarians assisted with Bottle Hill day selling hambugers, hot dogs, pretzels and beverages. The day was overcast with a misting rain. Attendance was slightly less than previous years but our club still managed to sell out all food. Thanks to Joe Smith, Bottle Hill Chair, who organized the entire day including making food arrangements, equipment, finances, etc. We are still in the process of tallying all of the proceeds and a final amount will be forthcoming. Proceeds of Bottle Hill day are used to support the charitable endeavors of Madison Rotary. Thanks to all who helped.
Rotary Clubs worldwide place a focus on increasing literacy. Such importance has been placed on literacy that Rotary International has created a “Rotary Literacy Month” that takes place during the month of March. Rotary Clubs also aim to conduct many literacy events during the week of September 8, which is International Literacy Day. Click Read More for additional information
All new and prospective new members of Madison Rotary Club are invited to attend a Fireside Chat, which will be held October 17th from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the home of Barry Kroll. This is a social evening designed to learn about Rotary and how it works in our community, nationally and worldwide. RSVP to Barry Kroll at barrykroll@aol.com
Last week, Ron Holtz, District Membership Chair, from Connecticut visited Madison Rotary to see some of the innovative meeting options and programs used by the Rotary Club of Madison. It was great to meet with Ron and share ideas.
The Rotary Club of Madison has an enthusiastic and engaged network of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to serve humanity in our local and global communities. We have 88 members and are inviting like-minded individuals to join our successful and vibrant club. President Michel Belt encourages you to come learn about Rotary by attending any one of our three weekly meetings as our guest. You have your choice of two weekly meetings: Thursdays, 7:47 am breakfast at the YMCA, 12:15 pm lunch at the Madison Hotel. To learn more, join or visit a Rotary meeting - contact Barry Kroll, at barrykroll@aol.com or 973-476-2772.
Do you shop on Amazon? The Rotary Global Rewards program has made an arrangement that Amazon will contribute 6% of total purchases to Rotary International for those individuals who logon to Amazon through the Rotary portal. Additionally there are hundreds of additional discounts on things like car rentals, hotel accommodations, major stores, etc - Click Read More for details
Rotary District 7470, The Madison Rotary Foundation and Madison Rotary (program sponsors) wish to thank the 600 volunteers, 40 sponsors and 24 local Rotary Clubs who participated in packaging 159,112 meals that were distributed to needy individuals and families in norther New Jersey. The program took place March 10, 2018 and is the largest Rotary food packaging program in the country. Ellsworth Havens, program chair, said "we are grateful to have such a supportive community and sponsors to make a program like this happen. Hunger is a very real problem for many people in our community and we are dedicated to making a difference." As we conclude the 2018 End Hunger 3.6 program we are already thinking about how to have a greater impact in 2019.