n the past few years attendance at Rotary meetings has dropped, even though a few Clubs continue to have a very good record of attendance. But why has it been downplayed with the resulting drop in attendance on the part of many Rotarians? Many argue that it’s not about turning up at meetings, but more about involvement, participation, even leadership. It is very true that clubs need committed Rotarians to lead projects, or special events, or to start up new initiatives. But club leaders counter the comment around participation vs attendance by observing that the most involved and committed usually turn out to be those who also attend meetings regularly. But where a member attends infrequently, the club executive tends to turn a blind eye—accepting poor attendance as a reality in today’s world. Click Read More for additional information.
Diane Salvatore, Editor in Chief, for Consumer Reports (CR), was the speaker at last Thursday's evening meeting held at Charlie Brown's in Chatham. Diane explained how items are selected for testing, the testing process, ratings of products and overall how CR strives to be impartial in all of their product analysis. The audience was surprised to learn that all products tested are purchased by CR at retail and are not donated by the manufacturer - this process is one of the steps to ensure objective evaluation and no bias based upon relationships with manufacturers. Click Consumer Reports for more information regarding the company
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.
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.
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
Historically Rotarians perpetuated a myth that Rotary should not seek publicity, but rather let our good works speak for themselves. However, an early stated policy observed that “as a means of extending Rotary’s influence, proper publicity should be given to a worthwhile project well carried out.” A more modern public relations philosophy was adopted in the mid-1970s that affirms that “good publicity, favorable public relations and a positive image are desirable and essential goals for Rotary,” if it is to foster understanding, appreciation and support for its Object and programs and to broaden Rotary’s service to humanity.. If interested in helping with Rotary Public Relations, contact Ray Freaney, Public Image Chair at rayfreaney@gmail.com
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.
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