"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at time."
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
What a month of great meetings. We started last week with Scott Mitchell whose group of professionals called PATHS helps our most distinguished citizens with services for them, enhancing their lives financially, emotionally and health wise. A few days ago, we heard from Betsey King and Lori Michelin from the Newtown Historical Association who spoke about what the Historical Association does.
Rotary's Epic Day of Service is tomorrow Saturday May 16th and our club will be leading the way with our biannual Food Drive held in front of McCaffrey's from 9am to 3pm. All proceeds meaning dry goods and money donated go directly to the Wrightstown Food Pantry. If your Saturday is free or can spare an hour or two, please stop by and volunteer. On Wednesday May 20th is our biannual Students of the Month presentation lunch facilitated by Rob Brown. The best of the best at Council Rock North visit us with their families. As Rotarians we hear of their aspirations, goals and their college to attend in the fall. On Monday May 25th is the annual Memorial Day Parade run by the American Legion. Our club has and is always a participant in the parade. The proceeds from our fall Pancake Day will offset the cost of the American Legion lunch to the many participants of the parade. The Parade kicks off on Newtown Yardley Road at the Newtown Commons around 9am and concludes with a wonderful ceremony at the American Legion. We are looking for volunteers to possibly put together a float to go along with my convertible. Please refer below to the link listed in the newsletter if interested.
Oh, we aren't done for May just yet. That Thursday May 28th is our Camaraderie For a Cause being held at Piccolo Trattoria. We spot light Meals on Wheels. For all the members and guests, we ask for a minimum donation of $10.00 of which all proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels.
Please make sure to register for all of our events. It helps tremendously with our lunch meetings and provides an accurate count for Joe Garvey and his staff. Our lunch fee is $16.00 and of course you can always ask for take out containers. Joe and his staff will graciously make those containers ready for you prior to leaving the meeting.
Two more quick items. First, the link to purchase Newtown Rotary merchandise is still open for a short time frame. Shore season is upon us and here is an opportunity to wear in style your Newtown Rotary cap, polo shirt or even a pullover sweatshirt. Let the conversation begin when people come up to you and inquire about Rotary and our club. There are fellow members of our club including myself that can testify to it. Second, here is your chance to provide the board ideas as to donating our Happy dollar monies we have accumulated over the past couple of years. Maybe to a local charity or two, maybe keep in the club for our projects or a new endeavor. Send me your ideas next week to my email address which is sec103ru85@gmail.com. The board will review and based on the suggestions and ideas come up with 1-2 donations/endeavors.
As you can see our club is extremely active between now and the end of May. I look forward to seeing you at our events. Service above self.
Steve Sabel
President, Rotary Club of Newtown, District 7430
Spring Food Drive - 5/16
Please join us for our Spring Food Drive to benefit Wrightstown Food Pantry! The event will take place at McCaffrey's on Saturday, May 16th from 9:00am-3:00pm and then a team will immediately transport the food to the pantry. This is a cherished Service Project for our Club under Shari Donahue's leadership so please sign up and volunteer!. It's a lot of fun and makes such a huge difference in our community! Sign Up Below!
Please join us for a lunch meeting on Wednesday, May 20th from 12:15-1:30pm at the American Legion. During this meeting, Rob Brown will once again recognize outstanding Council Rock students as part of our "Students of the Month" recognition program. We are proud to honor local students who demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics, leadership, character, and service to their school and community. Please bring $16 for a great lunch by Joe Garvey and we'll see you there!
Please join us as we march in the Newtown's Annual Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 25th from 9:00am - 12:00pm! This parade is very important to our Club given our affiliation with the American Legion and our love of our Veterans. Proceeds from our Pancake Breakfast help offset the cost for the American Legion so we are invested! Please click below to sign up! Once you do, we will share the details with you. Thank you!
Please join us for our monthly Camaraderie for a Cause fundraising event on Thursday, May 28th from 5:30-7:00pm at Piccolo Trattoria! This month, we will be focusing our fundraising efforts towards "Meals on Wheels". Meals on Wheels’ mission is to deliver nutritious meals and human connection to seniors, helping them maintain independence and dignity in their own homes. Please help us raise money for this great cause by joining us! Bring $10 and get ready for a fantastic time!
Our May Book Club pick is "There Are No Children Here", a 1992 nonfiction book by Alex Kotlowitz that chronicles the lives of two brothers, Lafayette and Pharoah Rivers, growing up in the violent, poverty-stricken Henry Horner Homes housing project in Chicago. The book details their struggle with gang violence, poverty, and neglect, while also highlighting their resilience and the heroism required to survive in a hostile environment, with Pharoah finding a path through education. It was adapted into a TV movie starring Oprah Winfrey and is considered a classic work on urban poverty. Our Book Club meeting will be held on Sunday, May 31st from 3:00-5:00pm. Please register for details!
The 2026 Newtown Welcome Day, or "Street Fair with Flair," is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Sycamore Street in Newtown, PA. This free, annual, family-friendly event features over 150 local vendors, artisans, live music, food trucks, and children's activities, drawing thousands to the town. The NewtownRotary Club will have a table at this very fun and lively event and is looking for volunteers to take some shifts. This is a great way to create awareness for our amazing club, participate in the community and have a great time all at once! Sign Up to work the table below!
During our Lunch Meeting on Wednesday, May 6th from 12:15pm-1:30m, the Newtown Rotary Club had the pleasure of welcoming members of PATHS-Professional Alliance to Help Seniors - to speak to us. PATHS is a group of dedicated & compassionate professionals committed to providing Seniors of Bucks County and their families with information, resources, and services they need to help them address & resolve issues that arise during the aging process. Each member of the alliance spoke to us about their contributions and this group is very impressive. We have a record sized group of 60 people for this meeting! If you'd like to learn more about PATHS, click on this link https://pathsbucks.com/. We thank them for what they do to serve our community and for sharing themselves with us last week.
Rotarians Honoring our History!!!
What a special Lunch Meeting we had on Wednesday, May 13th at the American Legion! We welcomed Betsey King and Lori Michelin from the Newtown Historic Association. Many of us know NHS's mission is to preserve, protect, and promote the rich history of Newtown and its surrounding communities through education, preservation, and community engagement. We were so happy to better understand this group's commitment to our wonderful community and were so happy to have them share their work with us. For more information on the NHS, click this link and enjoy https://newtownhistoric.org/! Thank you, Betsey and Lori!
The Lower Bucks Action Committee meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at Maryann's Homestyle Cooking at 1263 Woodbourne Road, Levittown PA 19057. All are welcome to attend so please contact Chris Potter with any questions at insurancepotter@msn.com! Here is the Zoom link if you would like to attend virtually. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81730525600?pwd=0EqCUZirMaaOl7A3SG0BQWJ6Fn14jb.1
Bedtime Stories at the Homeless Shelter
If you are interested in reading bedtime stories to children living in the Levittown Homeless Shelter one night a month, please contact Chris Potter at insurancepotter@msn.com. He will put a schedule together based on availability. Thank you!
Community Involvement Opportunities!
This section provides Rotarians the opportunity to volunteer and / or attend community events outside of Rotary in the spirit of "Service Above Self"!
Newtown Welcome Day Overall Volunteers (not Rotary Table)
If you feel so inclined, feel free to sign up to help with the NBA with various Welcome Day duties. We have a separate sign up for our Rotary Table, this is different!
Hello, Rotarians! Rotary Merch is available once again so grab your gear now using the link below. There are so many great things to choose from on the site. Merch will be available now through Wednesday, May 20th with delivery two weeks after that. Thank you in advance for repping Rotary out there as you proudly wear your gear!
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