Editor's Note: Erika Baldino (Paterson Rotary Club) has taken over as District Bulletin Editor.
We would like this newsletter to not only reflect upcoming district events but also focus on updates/pictures from your individual clubs after you've held your events. We want to celebrate your accomplishments on a district level. All information should be sent to Erika at Bulletin7490@gmail.com.
All individual upcoming Club Events should continue to go to June Bertini at jbertini@aol.com.
A NOTE FROM DG JOHN COSGROVE
As we enter into fall season they’re a lot of great things going on in the District. I had the opportunity to visit the Military food Pantry in Paterson during their October distribution. I want to thank the Paterson Great Falls club for all the hard work that they do sponsoring the pantry. Under the supervision of Debby Flowers with the help of Great Falls President Irma Gorham the Pantry runs like a well-oiled machine. I want to thank so many of our clubs that have stepped forward to help the pantry eliminate food insecurity for so many of our veterans.
Our Champions of Peace committee is moving right along under the direction of our Co-Chairs Charlotte Bennett Schoen and Yasmin Pavri. Please submit your clubs’ nominees and the awards will be presented at the Fair Lawn Community Center on April 22nd.2024. This looks to be a great program as we salute those that best exemplify peace within our district.
Our Stigma Free program has been very active, we held and introductory program for Presidents and Stigma Free chairs at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center on November 1st. It was followed by a panel discussion dealing with Anxiety & Depression on November 8th. Both programs were well received and please mark your calendars for the next in our series of mental health forums on December 12th at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus at 6pm.
Also want to congratulate all of our Rotarians who completed the Drum Circle facilitators course at William Paterson University. Many thanks to PDG Bonnie Sirower for all her hard work organizing the facilitation course and bringing the Drum Circles to our District.
I have continued my Club visits throughout the month of October, and I’m still amazed by all the wonderful things our clubs are doing. Service Above Self is alive and well in our District.
Please invite your friends to join you at your clubs meetings. Our District desperately needs to increase our membership if we want to avoid merging with another District. Our membership committee has come up with a plan that I will announce at the November Staff Meeting. The staff meeting will be held on Monday November 13th, at The Brownstone in Paterson at 7pm. The cost will be $35 and our speaker for the evening will be Paramus Rotarian Joe Masciandaro, the founder of Care Plus NJ, a major behavioral health provider in New Jersey. Joe is one of the leading authorities on Mental health in New Jersey. He also played a large part in bringing the Stigma Free initiative to New Jersey. I look forward to seeing you all at the staff meeting.
Thank you to Bergen Newbridge for their help and training!
Paterson Club at their trunk or treat event
A first look the newest "table to table" truck in the fleet donated in part by the Bergen Highlands Ramsey Rotary Club helping the Center for Food Action.
Rotary Club of Englewood, NJ, celebrated its Centennial at a Gala at Knickerbocker Country Club in Tenafly. Pictured here are the evening's honorees -- 17 past presidents of the Club -- bookended by former County Executive William "Pat" Schuber (far left), who was guest speaker, and Emmy-winning journalist Harry Martin (far right), who was Emcee.
Tenafly Club delivers dictionaries to 3rd graders!
Mark your calendars!
Nov 13TH district staff meeting
Cost will be $35 which includes buffet dinner and cash bar. Please RSVP and pay on Club Runner so we can get a head count.
**Cost is $35 - Please try to register and pay through Club runner**
The Brownstone
Cost:$35.00
In keeping with our focus on mental health our guest speaker will be Paramus Rotarian Joe Masciadaro. Come join us for this great program and learn more about what’s happening in the District.
Joe Masciandaro retired last year after 45 years as the president and CEO of CarePlus, a nonprofit based in Paramus that provides behavioral health services, medical care and a host of social services through some four dozen facilities in northern New Jersey. But his impact stretches far beyond the nonprofit’s 20,000-plus annual clients, according to colleagues and leaders in the field, who call him a “pioneer,” “mentor,” “strategist,” “visionary” and “Renaissance man” when describing Masciandaro, an Elizabeth resident. On June 6 he was presented with the Courage Award by the CarePlus Foundation, an entity he helped found years ago to support the broader mission, the latest in a long line of honors.
“Joe has left such a strong footprint on behavioral health here in the state of New Jersey. He’s not one out there to toot his own horn, to be front and center,” said Valerie Mielke, an assistant commissioner with the New Jersey Department of Human Services who oversees the community-based behavioral health organizations that provide psychiatric and addiction treatment to more than 70,000 residents each year. Her job as industry regulator sometimes put her at odds with Masciandaro and other behavioral health organizations.
“But he works very diligently, very quietly behind the scenes to make change,” Mielke said. “And he understands how systems change and that sometimes you have to look at the long game.”
Registration is required as we need to give a count to the caterer for food. CLICK BELOW for your register. Cost is only $35/attendee
Sunday, December 10 at 3 pm at the Fair Lawn Community Center in the John Cosgrove Gymnasium will be a massive district wide drum circle.. We hope to have ALL of our existing drum circles in Rotary District 7490 join us. We will provide instruments. Many of the 16 new drum circle facilitators will be joining us. We are inviting guests from the community, too, especially loved ones and caretakers, but will also extend the invitation to other drum circle lovers. This is a District-wide event. We are inviting our regular drum circle participants from Wayne, Secaucus, Park Ridge, Fort Lee plus our own to come for free; we will charge $10 for other guests ($5 for kids <16, noting for kids under 5).
Don't delay - your club's champions of peace nomination is due
Is there a Champion of Peace in your community? Click below to nominate them!
Award nomination criteria: Anyone 10 years and older can be nominated if you believe they have made a difference in their community. Each club may present two nominees who are non-Rotarians and are not previous Champions of Peace.
Must have a Rotary host club in another country as a partner
Fit into one of Rotary International seven areas of focus: Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Water and Sanitation, Maternal and Child Health, Basic Education and Literacy, Economic and Community Development and Support the Environment
Must be a sustainable project
Participation with other Clubs in the District recommended
Many of our District 7490 Rotary Clubs plan to take part in this year's Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday morning, October 13th, in Overpeck Park in Ridgefield. As we did last year, we will be holding a drum circle for all the volunteers just prior to the walk. If your club would like to be part of this, or if individual Rotarians want to be part of a District 7490 team, click below.
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