“Kindness is like snow—it beautifies everything it covers.”— Kahlil Gibran
Dear Rotary Friends,
Good morning! What a week—a whirlwind of impact, camaraderie, and one mighty dirty bunny.
Kindness has a way of making everything around it more beautiful—and this week, our club radiated it in every direction. By honoring a cherished friend, welcoming new faces, throwing and attending several unforgettable events, and showing up to volunteer, you proved once again that Rotary Club of Newtown members are extraordinary. Take a bow, you’ve more than earned it!
To our corporate and in-kind sponsors: you’re the momentum behind our mission. Your partnership makes our work possible—helping us serve more people, dream bigger, and deliver deeper impact. Thank you for believing in what we do and for fueling every step of the journey.
All this goodness is captured below in great detail and pictures. And coming up? Chandler Hall and Joe Garvey’s Philly tailgate feast with Eagles legend Merrill Reese, followed by our Camaraderie for a Cause happy hour at Blue Point Grill—supporting Newtown EMS with bike ambulances and a transport trailer. Scroll down for Jenn’s event links, and jump right in by signing up for anything that piques your fancy!
Thank you for all you do. You’re making a real difference—and our club wouldn’t be the same without you.
Wishing you a weekend of peace, purpose, and connection with those you cherish. Happy Easter and warm wishes for a meaningful close to Passover to all who celebrate these sacred traditions.
With gratitude,
Debra Porter
President and proud member, Rotary Club of Newtown, District 7430
Spring Road Clean Up - Saturday, April 19th
Please join us at the Newtown Middle School on Saturday, April 19th at 9:00am where we'll suit up in our fluorescent vests and collect trash along 332. This is an important service project for our club! Safety vests and trash bags will be provided but please bring your own gloves to be safe! I'm confident that there will be Dunkin Donuts and Coffee for all!
Please join us for a very special "bonus lunch" on Wednesday, April 23rd at Chandler Hall from 12:15-1:30pm featuring Merrill Reese. As many of us know, Merrill, the iconic "Voice of the Philadelphia Eagles," is a sports broadcasting legend, known for his long-tenured play-by-play commentary since 1977, and has been inducted into several sports halls of fame. We are delighted to have him all to ourselves! And what stories he can tell about our World Champion Philadelphia Eagles from the past year!!! The meeting will take place at Chandler Hall in their auditorium. The lunch menu, catered by Joe Garvey, will be a "Tailgate Party" menu and will cost $20.
Please join us for a Camaraderie for a Cause event on Thursday, April 24th at Blue Point Grill from 5:00-7:00pm. The focus of our fundraising will be to help the Newtown EMS team create a new division of Newtown EMS. They seek to purchase 3 Fuji Police Bikes from another EMS organization with a trailer and want to have the team in full operation by June 1st. Please join us for this worthy cause by bringing $10 and a bunch of your friends! See you there!
Please join us at Relic from 6:00-7:30pm for a special dinner focused on our New Members. We have a wonderful evening in store with multiple New Member Inductions as well as New Member Classification Speeches. This is going to be EPIC so mark your calendar and be prepared for a wonderful evening of fellowship! Here is a list of our stars for the night!
New Member Inductions: Tom Minutella, Paula Bruskiewitz & Val Davis
Classification Speeches: Scott Fegley, Dan Peterson, Ryan Krocker & Peter Manetas
Can't wait to see a LARGE crowd to welcome this amazing group of people "officially" into our Club!
Please join us for our Spring Food Drive to benefit Wrightstown Food Pantry on Saturday, May 3rd! The event will take place at McCaffrey's from 9:00am-3:00pm and then a team will immediately transport the food to the pantry from 3:00pm-4:00pm. 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!
Our next book is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, which has 4.5 stars (out of 5) from Goodreads. Shari Donahue will host this book club on Sunday, June 1st from 4:00-6:00pm. Her address will be communicated as we get closer in! Should be a great time! Please contact Laurel Collins at Laurel8690@yahoo.com or 908-507-1985 with any questions.
For those unfamiliar with Book Clubs, they are a great way to spend time with your fellow Rotarians. A book is selected based on suggestions by the members at the previous meeting. This is a great way to read books that are perhaps in a genre that you may be unfamiliar with. Yes, we discuss the book, usually using "book club discussion questions" that are provided in the back of most books. Of course, conversation usually extends well beyond the parameters of the discussion guide! Our book club meets about once per month (will extend to every six weeks or so in the summertime.) for about 2 hours. So far Sunday afternoons/early evening seems to work best, but we are open to change.
Here are some FAQ's:
Is Book Club only open to women?
Heck no! Men are invited and encouraged to join us! So far our book clubs have had men in attendance.
Does it count if I listened to the book on Audible? How about if I only skimmed Cliff Notes/Spark Notes?
It absolutely counts!
What if I didn't finish the book? What if I didn't get a chance to even READ the book? Can I still come?
Absolutely! We recognize that sometimes, we just don't get to it. That's totally OK! We'll do a synopsis of the book before we start the discussion, and attendees usually have something to contribute, even if they are unfamiliar with the book.
If you have any questions, please contact Laurel Collins at Laurel8690@yahoo.com or 908-507-1985.
OH WHAT A NIGHT! The Newtown Rotary Club held it's annual fundraising gala event, "Hope on the Vine" on Friday, April 11th in partnership with Newtown Fire Rescue. We had a huge turnout and a great time was had by all! Stay tuned for details on our fundraising results. In the meantime, look at this amazing group of Rotarians! We are such a lucky group to be surrounded by such amazing people who share a vision of "Service Above Self"! There are many more fun pictures if you click on the link below. Have fun reliving an amazing night! Special thanks to Stephanie Eubanks and Danielle Wittig who put their heart and soul (and blood, sweat and tears!) into putting this event together. It is a lot more complicated that we could ever imagine and we are so grateful for you, ladies. Thank you! We also thank our Wonderful Sponsors (see below) because without you, this event would not be a success either.
The Newtown Rotary Club hosted our Annual Easter Egg Hunt on April 13th at Goodnoe Elementary School. The event began with a visit from the Easter Bunny at 1:15pm followed by the egg hunt at 2:00pm. The egg hunt was divided into age categories starting from the youngest to oldest and each age group had a “Golden Egg” prize valued at $75. We had a wonderful turnout despite needing to reschedule due to bad weather. There were hundreds of people of all ages having fun and celebrating the Easter season! The most competitive group was the "Adult" group which was so fun! Special thanks to Paul Salvatore who is the "mastermind" behind this event and has been for over 30 years! Also thanks to the many volunteers who showed up to make this event such a great success. Can't wait for next year! PS: Forgive the amount of pictures, we had a lot of fabulous photographers!
Rotarians Paying Tribute
Weekly Lunch Meeting - April 16th
The Newtown Rotary Club held a special Lunch Meeting on April 16th dedicated to celebrating the life of our dear friend, Jack Erickson. Jack rarely missed a Rotary meeting, service project, Camaraderie for a Cause—or any gathering, really. He was always there—supporting, calling, and caring. We were honored to be joined by Jack's two sons, Eric, Ed and his wife Deborah who spoke so eloquently about the impact Jack had on them as a father. Many members rose to tell "Jack stories" that made the group laugh, cry and the meeting ended with hugs all around. This is exactly what Jack would have wanted to see. His legacy of "Positivity & Community" lives on in our Club as our goals are 100% aligned with the way Jack lived his life. Service Above Self. Jack, rest in peace, dear friend. We will carry on.
Relatives and friends are invited to share in Jack’s Life Celebration on Sunday, April 27 from 2 to 4 PM at the Swartz Givnish Funeral Home, 323 Washington Ave, Newtown, PA. Please join us at the The Temperance House after Visitation to raise a glass to Jack. Interment with Military Honors will be at Washington Crossing National Cemetery on Monday, April 28, 2025 at 10 AM. Memorial contributions in Jack’s name may be made to Newtown Rotary Club, P. O. 123, Penns Park, PA 18943 (Jack Erickson in by line) or Washington Crossing Yardley Kiwanis Club, Yardley, PA 19067.
As many of us know, Merrill, the iconic "Voice of the Philadelphia Eagles," is a sports broadcasting legend, known for his long-tenured play-by-play commentary since 1977, and has been inducted into several sports halls of fame. We are delighted to have him all to ourselves!
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
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In doing so, we expand our "Rotary Reach" into our community! Please sign up or even just attend these events if you can.
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