“I don’t know” is not an admission of ignorance. It’s an expression of intellectual humility.
“I was wrong” is not a confession of failure. It’s a display of intellectual integrity.
“I don’t understand” is not a sign of stupidity. It’s a catalyst for intellectual curiosity.
- From the March 5, 2025 newsletter of Adam Grant
Dear Rotary Friends,
Good afternoon!
Adam Grant’s above insight aligns with values we treasure as Rotarians—intellectual humility, integrity, and curiosity. They fuel our pursuit of truth, fairness, goodwill, and friendship. As a Wharton professor and bestselling author, Grant studies motivation, generosity, and potential. His book Think Again sits on my desk as a reminder to challenge assumptions, embrace new perspectives, and never grow complacent. Here's one gem from the book: "If knowledge is power, knowing what we don't know is wisdom."
This mindset is crucial as we tackle pressing global challenges—like access to clean water. Dan Angove, CEO of Newtown Artesian Water Company, reminded us of a staggering reality during our lunch meeting this week: one in four people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water, and 2.3 billion lack basic hand washing facilities. While Rotary International works globally to address these issues, our local community plays a role, too. We learned from Dan that Newtown residents can have their water pipes inspected for lead at no cost, with free replacements if needed—an essential step in ensuring safe drinking water for all.
Clean water isn’t just a health issue; it’s a peacebuilding issue. Last month, Rotary hosted a Presidential Peace Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, at one of our new Peace Centers. The conference, Healing in a Divided World, reinforced that access to clean water improves health, reduces conflict, and fosters economic stability—all vital for lasting peace. Per Murat Celik, an Istanbul Rotary Club member and host of the conference, "Peace is not only the absence of hostility and violence or the lack of war, but it is the quality of life."
Closer to home, we're bringing a symbol of peace to Newtown via the installation of a Peace Pole. We welcome everyone to take part in the dedication ceremony. Have a suggestion for the perfect location? Members have proposed State Street and even the bypass—what do you think? Once placed, we’ll enhance the area with plantings to create a peaceful space for reflection. For landscaping inspiration, perhaps we can look to this year's Philadelphia Flower Show and its theme, Gardens of Tomorrow. In case you missed it this year, I’ve included a link to my photos below. Here’s one of my favorites—the natural beauty of this Japanese garden was breathtaking:
***Tickets are on sale to Hope on the Vine, our premier annual event. Chairwomen of the event, Stephanie Eubanks and Danielle Wittig, and our superb committee chairs, are planning an unforgettable evening. Secureyour tickets today via the below link and please do invite friends and family! Proceeds support more than 42 nonprofits in our community and our international grant projects.***
Finally, please scroll down for Jenn’s meeting and event recaps—photos, updates, and ways to get involved. Thinking about your next great read? Join the book club discussion at the Collins home on April 6th—details below. And don’t forget to register for upcoming meetings and events—your presence makes a difference!
Thank you for all you do to serve our community and the world. See you for lunch at the legion next Wednesday! We'll be celebrating St. Patty's day together. :)
Warm regards,
Debra Porter
President and proud member of the Newtown Rotary Club, District 7430
Philadelphia Flower Show pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MIiE3PVfAG-butcBrDX9EPDuZ3XkXkab?usp=drive_link
Lunch Meetings will be held the first three Wednesdays of each month from 12:15-1:30PM at the American Legion building. A Lunch Buffet catered by Joe Garvey will be served at a cost of $16 per person.
Camaraderie for a Cause events will be held the fourth Thursday of each month from 5:00-7:00PM. Locations and causes will vary but the donation of $10 remains the same
Our remaining March schedule is as follows:
3/12: Weekly Lunch Meeting featuring Kyle Davis and our Technology Committee
3/27: Camaraderie for a Cause @ Temperance House - "Trivia Night"
Thank you!
Weekly Lunch Meeting - March 12th
Please join us for lunch at the American Legion Building at 12:15pm on Wednesday, March 12th as Kyle Davis and our Technology Committee plan to help us learn about how technology can be used effectively to support your membership, specifically Club Runner. In addition, we will discuss ways you can assist in creating awareness for our club and the good work we do for our community, country and world!
Please join us for lunch at the American Legion Building at 12:15pm on Wednesday, February 19thto hear Classification Speeches from our newer members TJ Butler, Grace Wu Simco and Maureen Salvucci! This is always a highlight for us each month as we get to know more about the amazing people we have in our club!
Please join us for a Camaraderie for a Cause at the Temperance House on Thursday, May 27th from 5:00-7:00pm! The focus of our fundraising efforts will be to raise money for our Club Fund to support our signature gala event, Hope on the Vine, which takes place on Friday, April 11th. Please bring a bunch of your friends and $10 and get ready to have some fun and raise some dollars for our best event of the year!
We are pleased to share that Laurel Collins will host our next Book Club! The book selection is "The Thursday Murder Club". It's the first book of a series.
Our meeting date is April 6th from 4:00-6:00pm and will be hosted by Laurel and Patrick Collins at their home. Please register to receive more details and hope you can join us!
We are looking for a few additional members to attend this Multi-District event in Hershey, PA. This event will include District 7390, 7410,7430,and 7490, providing a wonderful opportunity for celebration, inspiration and fellowship. Not only will you enjoy the Conference but you will have access to a large range of family-friendly activities while here. You can register for the full conference Friday-Sunday. You can also register for Saturday only. The Newtown Rotary Club will cover the cost of attending the conference. Hotel and travel costs will be covered by each individual. Mark Craig and Paul Salvatore will be attending and they would love some company! Full details on the "Register Here" link below.
"Hope On The Vine" is Newtown Rotary Club's biggest fundraiser of the year. This year, Hope on the Vine proudly partners with Newtown Fire Rescue, our community's dedicated fire department that has been protecting Newtown since 1889. Your support at this year's gala will help equip these local heroes who stand ready 24/7 to serve our community.
The event takes place at the Rafters in the Newtown Business Commons on April 11 from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m.
Tickets are available now at www.hopeonthevine.com with proceeds benefiting the community. Newtown Rotary allocates the money raised during this event to both local organizations and charities, as well as those abroad.
As always, your ticket includes:
*Delicious meal catered by Chef Joseph Garvey
*Dessert
*Open bar including beer, wine, and cocktails
*DJ
*Live and Silent Auctions
*Wine Pull
*Professional Photographer with backdrop
*Cigar and Bourbon outside starting at 10:00
If you are looking for an opportunity to get involved in planning our Signature Fundraising Event,"Hope on the Vine", look no further! We have several committees who are in need of volunteers. Below is a list of the Committees and the corresponding chair people. Please reach out directly to them and let them know you want to help. You will be welcomed with open arms - THANK YOU!!!
Join us as we learn about Rotary technology to support your membership and ways you can assist in creating awareness for our club and the good work we do for our community, country and world!
Last night, the Newtown Rotary Club hosted a “camaraderie for a cause“ event at El Barrio. The proceeds for this event raised funds for a Peace Pole that will be placed in our community to inspire the feeling of “may peace prevail on earth“. A Peace Pole is an internationally recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth. Each Peace Pole bears the message of peace in six different language languages. Stay tuned for details on where this pole will be placed in our community! We are thankful to those who joined us last night and contributed to this wonderful initiative!  It’s so great to have fun and do good deeds at the same time!
Rotarians Being Cultured!!!
Book Club - March 2nd
Our Club hosted its first Book Club which was a Tea Party on Sunday, March 2nd at Debra Porter's lovely home! The featured book for discussion was called "New Beginnings, Annabelle’s Story" by Charlotte Parker Caminos who actually joined the discussion! What a great turn out, thanks for everyone who joined our inaugural event! Charlotte, a fellow Rotarian, will also be our guest speaker at the June 4th lunch meeting on the topic: “Everyone Has a Book in Them.”
We are pleased to share that Laurel Collins will host our next Book Club! The book selection is "The Thursday Murder Club: A Novel". It's the first book of a series. The next meeting date is April 6th from 4-6pm and will be hosted by Laurel and Patrick Collins at their home.Please register above to receive more details and hope you can join us!
Rotarians Getting Educated!!!
Weekly Lunch Meeting - March 5th
During our Lunch Meeting on March 5th, the Newtown Rotary Club welcomed Dan Angove, CEO of Newtown Artesian Water Company as our keynote speaker. Dan was born and raised in Pennsylvania but moved to Florida in 2003 where he started his water career with the City of Clearwater. In 2008, Dan returned to Pennsylvania with a leadership role in PA American Water- Yardley district. After 7 years with PA American, Dan accepted a position with Newtown Artesian Water Company in 2015. Dan currently serves as the CEO and is also on the Board of Directors. His remarks were very insightful and really provided some unique perspective on the measures taken to provide clean water to our homes despite the fact that 1 in 4 homes in our world do not have access to clean water. It's a staggering statistic! The group was very engaged and asked a lot of questions! Thanks for joining us, Dan, we enjoyed you very much and appreciate all you do for our community.
The Newtown Rotary Club is proud to give back to our community, country and world to help make a difference in people's lives as we put "Service Above Self".
Our Newtown Rotary Club!!!
Who wouldn't want to join a Club full of this fun loving group!!??
Photo by Rotarian Brandon Valeri-Bruchini, Mediaology
Community & Volunteer Opportunities
In this section, you will find opportunities to volunteer outside of our own Rotary events.
In doing so, we expand our "Rotary Reach" into our community! Please sign up or even just attend these events if you can.
Order Rotary Apparel
Click Here to add to your "Rotary Wardrobe" and show your Rotary pride!
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