Thanks to everyone that attended any of our events over the summer. All the lunch meetings were well attended as were the social events. Our club was also well represented at the Food Bank, the Butterfly Garden, and I expect will be again this week at the End Polio Guardian's Game. It is a pleasure to be part of such a vibrant club!
At our last meeting Ray passed around a sign-up to help at our Community Day table on August 28th. The event runs from 6:00 - 7:00 when the football game begins and we usually arrive around 5:00 to set up. If you would like to help, contact Ray or reply back to this email and I will add you to the list.
Our speaker this week will be Erica Pruitt Voorhees, Magistrate/Judicial Attorney with the Summit County Court of Common Pleas and President Elect of the Cuyahoga Falls Rotary Club.
There will not be a lunch meeting this Thursday, August 13th. We will resume weekly lunch meetings on August 20th.
Thanks to Judge Joy Malek Oldfield for presenting at last meeting and educating us about the Turning Point program. We also had the added bonus to hear from Ken Mirkin from Community Legal Aid Services.
I look forward to seeing everyone attending the End Polio Now Guardians game on August 19th.
Welcome to August! Rotary International has designated August as Membership and New Club Development month. This aligns well with our discussion at the last board meeting about a potential companion club. Remember everyone is encouraged to bring guests to any of our events.
Once again, we will have a table at Woodridge Community Day on August 28th to share info about all the ways our club helps not only locally but internationally. All are welcome to help staff the table so save the date if interested.
For those that missed it, we will only skip one week (August 13th) this month with lunch meetings at Michael's A.M. for the other 3 weeks.
If you have not registered for the District End Polio Now Game and want to attend, they have extended the deadline to register to August 5th. Our club is usually well represented at this event so we will treat this as our service project for the month of August.
This week our speaker will be Judge Joy Malek Oldfield. It should be another great presentation!
Reminder that this week we will not have a lunch meeting. Instead by popular demand our July social event will again be at Green Valley Brewing Company, located at 53 Millford Dr, Hudson, OH 44236. We will gather at 6:00 for great fellowship.
Last week prior to the regular lunch meeting there was a board meeting. Here are some of the items that were discussed:
The budget for Rotary year 2026-2027 was approved
It was agreed that the club will reimburse for the 4-Way Test Banner (this is included in the budget in the Supplies category)
We will resume our weekly lunch meetings at Michael's A.M. with the August 20th meeting so there will be a lunch meeting on August 27th
Board voted unanimously to accept Joel Morgan as President Elect
We will be ordering shirts for club members; the club will pay for the setup fee (also included in the budget in the Supplies category) then members will pay for the shirt
The End Polio Now game will be our August service project, deadline to order tickets is July 31st
Ray presented the idea to have a companion club to our club targeting parents of interact students. There is a minimum of 8 members to charter a companion club, follows rules for a satellite club. He will begin developing information to move forward with this
The board agreed to provide 5 trees towards the district goal of 250. These will be at Woodridge schools, details to be determined
Next week we will have a lunch meeting at Michael’s A.M.
Thank you to everyone that came out last Friday morning to help at the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank. Through our efforts inspecting, and packaging dry goods, we were able to provide 915 meals in a little over 2 hours. I look forward to the next time we can help.
We will be back at Michael's A.M. for our regular 12:15 lunch meeting this Thursday, July 23rd. This meeting will be a Club Assembly.
Prior to this week’s lunch meeting we will have a Board Meeting beginning at 11:15. All are welcome to attend.
We had a great meeting to kick-off July, and a new Rotary year! It was a special day having our new District Governor Terri Speck in attendance to swear Tony in. And to top that having all Tony’ s family members, District Governor Elect, Rich Cole, and our own Past District Governors Jim and Dave, made it a full house.Should be a great year of “Creating Lasting Impact”.
Also, a big thank you to Ray for putting together the new program booklet.They are a great resource for everything Northampton Cuyahoga Valley Rotary related.
Remember this week we will not be meeting for lunch but there is still time to register if you are available to help at the Akron Foodbank on Friday July 17th. Please reply back to this email if you are planning to attend.
Our next lunch meeting at Michael's A.M. will be July 23rd.
I hope that everyone had a fantastic Independence Day this past weekend!Even though we did not have a lunch meeting last week the club was well represented at the District Banner Exchange.And yes, we did receive the A.Z. Baker Service Award.
This week we will have our weekly lunch meeting at Michael’s A.M. at 12:15. We are expecting many guests for President Tony’s swearing in so you may want to arrive early.
Next week instead of a lunch meeting we will have the opportunity to serve at the Akron Foodbank in the Venarge Family Food Pantry. This will be on Friday, July 17th from 9:00 - 11:30. They will need 5-7 people to assist shoppers.I will send another email when I receive more information about sign-ups.
Seems like only yesterday that I was standing in front of everyone being sworn in as President.Like all changes, taking on this role came with questions like, how did I get here? Would I be able to lead the club, and did the club leadership make the right choice selecting me?While I cannot answer the last one, looking at my years in the club, I would not change my decision to transfer to Northampton.This club has been a great fit for me, and I have enjoyed serving it for the past 12 months.Maybe I have enjoyed it too much since I agreed to stay on as co-president with Tony for the next year.
Some of the highlights from last year:
We had a very successful reverse raffle/silent auction
Another great Christmas party with entertainment from Woodridge Rhapsody
Provided 6 - $1,000 scholarships to Woodridge graduating seniors
Operated within the budget approved by the board
Transitioned to using Clubrunner for communication and club management
Several very well attended June events including 2 lunch meetings, a service project, and a social
I would like to thank all the club members that have supported me for the last 12 months.Special thanks to everyone that scheduled the weekly speakers, (I don’t think we had any last-minute cancellations) as well as board members and everyone that helped the club operate.I’m looking forward to hearing this week from Tony
We are ready to begin our program to plant 250 trees in our District to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence. There are two ways to implement this program. The first method is for clubs or families that have decided to plant a tree or trees this year and do not need or want assistance. The second method is to use a District 6630 Arborist to assist in determining the appropriate tree species for the location, sourcing the trees through local nurseries, and providing their discount to clubs purchasing the trees. Both implementation methods are explained further below. The deadline for contacting an arborist for advice is September 1, 2026. Planting with arborist assistance will take place in late September or October.
Club or Individual Planting of Trees in the District Without Assistance
We will count each and every tree reported to us for this project, whether it was planted specifically for Rotary or for beautification and/or practical purposes. Regardless of the intent, we want 250 trees planted in the District in 2026. For clubs or families that are planning to plant or have already planted trees in the district this year, please email the following information to me at rorotary20252026@gmail.com, and I will compile the information on a spreadsheet.
Club or family name
Location (city, park, etc.)
Number of trees
Species of trees
Date planted
Club or Individual Planting of Trees in the District With Arborist Assistance
Clubs that would like the help of an expert arborist first need to determine where they want to plant the trees and how many they would like to plant. Once they have determined at least the location, please follow these steps (5-15 gallon containerized trees only).
Contact Bob Oborn (rorotary20252026@gmail.com) and request the assistance of an arborist. We have four arborists in the District. I will survey the arborists and provide the club with the name and contact information of their arborist advisor.
Contact your arborist and begin discussing the trees that will work best for the location you have chosen. Please make sure you contact your arborist before September 1, 2026 (the deadline for planting with assistance).
Once you have determined the species and number of trees, your arborist will work with a local nursery and help you set up an account so you can take advantage of their discount.
Purchase the trees and arrange for pickup or delivery close to your planting date.
Work with your arborist on animal protection needs for the trees and tips for proper care.
Select a day in late September or October for planting. Please email me with that date, as I would like to attend as many plantings as possible.
After planting, provide me with the following information for record keeping:
Club or family name
Location (city, park, etc.)
Arborist’s name
Species of trees
Type of trees
Date planted
Celebrate helping make this a better world to live in!
We are in the early stages of planning one or more workshops on the proper planting and care of trees. Everyone will be invited. Please let me know if you are interested in the workshop.Please make sure you share with me information about any tree planted in the district this year—size does not matter!
Everyone should have received an email last week about our social event this Thursday.
If you missed it here is a copy:
Hello Rotary Friends,
We are looking forward to a fun evening of fellowship on Thursday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Green Valley Brewing Company, located at 53 Milford Dr, Hudson, OH 44236.
This will be a great chance to relax, catch up, laugh a little and enjoy some time together outside of our regular meeting space. Good company, good conversation, and a little Rotary fellowship-what more could we ask for?
Hope to see you there!
N'ecole
Also note that there is no meeting on July 2nd so our next lunch meeting will be July 9th.
Last week we had a very informative presentation from Russ Balthis. It was great to hear that Portage Trail is on the schedule of roads to be resurfaced this summer.
We also had the pleasure of welcoming guests John Shulan, and Tom Police from the Fairlawn Rotary Club. If anyone is interested in a telescope, they are selling $10 raffle tickets to support The Fairlawn Rotary Observatory in Bath. When all 600 tickets are sold the winners will be drawn for 3 telescopes. Ray plans to have them return to speak more about the observatory in the fall.
A big thank you to everyone that came out last Saturday to buff up the Butterfly Garden!
It was great to have our 2 helpers as well as the 9 club members that were there.
A special thank you to Ray for coordinating everything as well as his guidance so we didn't weed out any actual pollinators. You can view more photos on our Facebook page!
Remember that this week we will be back at Michael's A.M. for our regular lunch meeting at 12:15.
Our speaker will be Cuyahoga Falls City Council President, Russ Balthis.
Remember there is no lunch meeting this week. Instead, we will have a service opportunity this Saturday the 13th. See the next story for more information.
This past week we had another fantastic meeting featuring several great guests.
Prior to the meeting we had a board meeting. The board has agreed to continue the subscription to Clubrunner. All see that it is a valuable tool to enhance our communication. Going forward we will look to expand the features we are currently using including allowing online payments.
The regular meeting began with Sophia Morehouse giving a recap of her first year as interact advisor. Besides continuing the lunch buddies and swim buddies program they also participated in assembling hygiene bags, the district interact service of putting together birthday bags and attending the district conference to help with the Pack Away Hunger project. Next year they are also looking into providing blankets for Akron Children's Hospital. Sounds like they are well on their way to another successful year!
We also had the honor to have Past District Governor Dales Smith, (for those counting that makes 3 PDGs and 1 Assistant Governor in attendance) to present a Paul Harris Fellow to Cuyahoga Falls Fire Chief, (and soon to be Northampton Rotarian) Chris Martin. Chief Martin was very honored to be recognized with this award.
If you were not there you also missed a rare singing of “Happy Birthday” to Doc Timmons. There is a reason we are not a singing club, but for a 95th birthday we will make an exception.
Finally, our own President Elect Tony Karam described his journey to provide a motorcycle escort to the “Steel Across America” tour. It is absolutely amazing how he took an idea and within no time it grew to hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts escorting the truck hauling the beam from the twin towers across Florida.
Get ready to get dirty on Saturday June 13 at 10:00am as our service project is cleanup and mulching of the Butterfly Garden.
If your work schedule has kept you from joining in on one of our Rotary service projects, this one is perfect for you. Come out and join us, just north of the Woodridge Elementary School.
Bring your weeding tools, shovel and garden rake. We have over a dozen plants to replace and mulch to spread.
This month begins our modified summer schedule that will go from June through the end of August. To start off we will have a board meeting this Thursday at 11:30 prior to the lunch meeting. The calendar has been updated to reflect lunch meetings and other activities. July and August service opportunities may be at different times/dates listed once they have been scheduled.
If you have not sent in your dues, please send ASAP.
This week our speaker will be Sophia Morehouse to update us on the Interact club. We are also scheduled to have a visit from Past District Governor Dale Smith to present a Paul Harris award to Cuyahoga Falls Fire Chief Chris Martin.
Refuge House Events: Join Us as We Prepare to Open
As we get closer to opening Refuge House, we’re excited to invite you to be part of this meaningful season. Whether you’d like to serve, give, or simply come celebrate, there’s a place for you:
Volunteer Work Days Help us get the home ready for the women and children who will soon walk through our doors. There are a variety of hands-on opportunities for individuals, families, and church groups.
Refuge House Wish List You can help create a warm, welcoming environment by providing essential items for the home. Every gift plays a part in making this space ready.
Open House – June 18th | 2:00–8:00 PM Come tour Refuge House, see the space, and celebrate all that has been accomplished before we officially open to serve moms and their children.
We would love for you to be part of this special time as we prepare to open our doors.
In celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, our District is partnering with Kindland and the United States of Kindness to flood our communities with 250 million acts of good. We are challenging every club and member to join this movement to make kindness visible, measurable, and contagious.
How to Get Involved
Register Your Club: Visit usofkindness.org/get-involved. Under the “Businesses and Organizations” section, click Sign Up. Designate one member to register the club; this person will receive updates and help track your club's collective impact.
Optional Individual Sign-up: Members are also encouraged to sign up individually on the same site to receive personal kindness prompts and resources.
Do & Share: Perform acts of kindness—large or small. Share them on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to spread "good news."
Hashtag: #USK250
Tag: @usofkindness
Follow: @usofkindness on Instagram and UsOfKindness on Facebook
Report the Impact: After performing an act, log it via our District’s official Google Form (link below).
By documenting our acts, we show the true scale of Rotary’s service. We will use these numbers to celebrate our achievements at the District level and inspire other organizations to join the movement.
In February Emily Kilogore and guests gave a great presentation about the EntrepreNew Pathways program. The Ohio Rubber Duck Festival & Rubber Duck Dash is a little over a week away and they still have ducks for purchase. Should be a great event!
For this year's cluster project, we have partnered with District 6630 to provide meals for those in need with Pack Away Hunger.
Below is some information about “Pack Away Hunger”. The fundraising goal has been met so the next step is to pack the meals at the District Conference on April 25th. If you are unable to attend the conference but have an hour to spare, all are welcome to help beginning around 2:30 at the Cleveland Marriott East. The address is listed in the District Conference story.
Support the future leaders of Rotary District 6630 by participating in the Camp RYLA Raising Cane’s Dine-to-Donate Fundraiser on Monday, March 30, 2026.
Several Raising Cane’s locations across Northeast Ohio will participate, and 15% of net sales will be donated to support Camp RYLA, Rotary’s District 6630 premier youth leadership development program for high school students.
To participate, simply mention Camp RYLA or show the event flyer when placing your order during the event hours.
Your support helps provide students with an impactful week of leadership training, team building, and personal growth at Camp RYLA 2026, which will be held June 21–25 at Hiram College. Thank you for supporting the next generation of leaders!
Once again, we had the tremendous opportunity to hear from 2 great Woodridge students. Both James and Claire are outstanding students not only in the classroom but also in their outside interests. We also learned that Claire may be in a class all her own having been a Rotary student of the month when she was in 8th grade as well as this time as a senior. James took this as a challenge to follow in her footsteps when he is a senior.
For those that may have missed it: Beginning in June we will only have 2 lunch meetings each month for June, July, and August. These will be the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month (skipping July 2nd when we will not be meeting in honor of the Semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence). The 2nd Thursday of the month there will be a service opportunity, and the final Thursday of the month will be a social. These events will be planned closer to the summer months. As you can see, the board and I believe there is value in gathering weekly, but this doesn’t have to be at a lunch meeting. The website calendar has been updated to reflect this schedule.
Our speaker this week will be former Cleveland Brown and current Ward 8 Councilman - Frank Stams
It was great to have a lunch meeting to join with members and discuss club business.
If you were not at last Thursday’s lunch I brought up how during the summer months last year the attendance at weekly lunch meetings was less than stellar. In the interest of trying to be considerate guests at Michael's A.M. we are going to try something a little different this summer.
Beginning in June we will only have 2 lunch meetings each month for June, July, and August. These will be the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month (skipping July 2nd when we will not be meeting in honor of the Semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence). The 2nd Thursday of the month there will be a service opportunity, and the final Thursday of the month will be a social. These events will be planned closer to the summer months. As you can see, the board and I believe there is value in gathering weekly, but this doesn’t have to be at a lunch meeting.The website calendar has been updated to reflect this schedule.
We agreed to continue with the March Madness contest.Everyone should have received an email from Rich Potts with information about this.Each entry is $20 which can be sent with Zelle or Venmo and of course we still accept cash or check.If you did not receive the email here is a link to the site March Madness
We also polled the group to see if there is interest in getting new Northampton Rotary shirts.There were enough people interested that Tony will start looking into cost and options.
This week’s meeting is our Students of the Month so it should be a great time!!
Those of us that have been involved with Rotary for a number of years tend to forget that not everyone is familiar with all the acronyms or phrases associated with Rotary.
You may have seen or heard the phrase “Every Rotarian Every Year” and wondered what am I supposed to be doing every year? Looking in the rearview mirror, as Rotary approached the 100th anniversary in 2005 there was an initiative to encourage annual participation and contributions to The Rotary Foundation. The goal was to have every club contribute $100 per capita to the Foundation. This became such a successful campaign that it has continued to today. I'm sure I will be corrected if this is wrong, but for as long as I can see the Rotary Club of Northampton Cuyahoga Valley has been an Every Rotarian Every Year club!!I look forward to continuing this great tradition.
For more information about The Rotary Foundation click the link below.
For those that could not make it, we had a terrific presentation from Missy Timko last week. Thanks to all Tony's efforts to raise money for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library our club showed up on their radar and Missy wanted to visit to say thank you. Our club has had 38 different donors since this campaign started, which is the most in the state of Ohio. They provide over 2 million books per month worldwide and Ohio has more children registered than any other state. Thank you to everyone that has donated!!
This week we will have a club assembly to share some exciting news that the board voted on this past week.
It was great to hear from our students of the month, Jacob and Eliza. It's not a surprise that Jacob is active all-around Woodridge High School; but that hearing that he has also has completed 24 college credits is always great. We also had the chance to learn about Eliza's activities with Team Super Ninjas and the different competitions she has been in.
We will have a board meeting this Thursday at 11:30 before the lunch meeting.
Tony let me know that Akron Bikers for Boobs is looking for a few more people to help at their Night at the Races. More info below.
This week our speaker will be Missy Timko, Regional Director, Northern Ohio Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio. It should be a great presentation.
Thanks to Woodridge Alum Karen Galehouse for joining us at last week’s meeting. It was great to hear that even when retired as an educator she is still teaching everyone through her book series. She currently has 2 books published; Boo Boo Bunny and Friends The Color of Feelings and Boo Boo Bunny and Friends Pinka Tries a New Way. Both are currently available on Amazon, and she has plans to write 3 more books in the series.
We will have a board meeting on March 5th followed by a club assembly meeting.
If you need an idea for dinner on Friday February 20th, Woodridge High School will be hosting their 12th annual Empty Bowls Event. This fundraiser supports Family Promise. The flyer is in the next story.
This week our speaker will be Kenny Haynes and he will tell us about Tyler's Redemption Place.
We had another terrific presentation from Emily Kilgore and several students last week. It's always great to get updates on the EntrepreNew Pathways program. In the last couple years, the students have been developing and growing the Ohio Rubber Duck Dash. This year it will be the first Ohio Rubber Duck Festival & Duck Dash. They will begin selling rubber ducks February 23rd. For more information their website is: https://ohiorubberduckdash.com/
We have an update on the cluster project. This year we will be working with the other clubs in our cluster to contribute to “Pack Away Hunger” at the district conference. The goal is to pack 20,000 meals during the conference. I will pass along more information as we get closer to the district conference.
Recently I received an invitation from the Rotary Club di Ragusa to attend Rotary Week of the Ibleua Baroque in southwestern Sicily. Part of the program is to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site in their area. It goes from May 10th - 17th open to Club Presidents or their members limited to 50 participants. If anyone is interested, I can pass on their information.
Finally, our speaker this week will be Karen Galehouse. I'll see everyone then.
Thanks to everyone that braved the frigid temperatures for a chance to socialize with fellow club members and guests last Thursday. It was a pleasure to visit with everyone outside of a normal lunch meeting. I look forward to a warmer evening for our next fifth Thursday in April.
So far, $1,880 has been donated to the Rotary for Reading 2026 campaign from our club. This puts us in the lead in giving within district 6630. If you would like to donate you can find the link on our website.
This week our speaker will be Emily Kilgore who will be speaking about the rubber duck dash.
Remember this week is our fifth Thursday so there is no lunch meeting.
We will be gathering Thursday at The Brew Kettle in Hudson at 6:00. They have reserved the back room where we have met before. There will not be a buffet so we will be ordering off the menu. Feel free to bring a guest who would enjoy spending some time with us.
If you were not at our meeting last Thursday, you missed a very dynamic speaker. It was plain to see how much Danielle loves what she is doing at Northeast Ohio Golf Charities. They are always in need of volunteers; if anyone is interested she left her contact information.
Wally shared that we raised just over $700 during our red kettle bell ringing for The Salvation Army. They have asked, and we agreed to continue this service in December this year.
Although we did not have a program, the meeting was well attended, and we even had an unofficial visit from our district governor Bob Oborn and Annette. Bob was able to give us an update on the District Conference April 24th and 25th. The conference will again be at the Cleveland Marriott in Warrensville Heights, but the format and schedule has been changed. It will now begin at 2:00 on Friday the 24th for the business meeting so no longer will there be a Friday lunch. The full conference agenda should be available soon.
President Elect, Tony Karam, while not able to attend, provided information about the All Ohio P.E.T.S project “Rotary for Reading 2026”. He has set a club goal of $2,500 for this very worthwhile project.
We also had the opportunity to discuss the Fifth Thursday coming up on January 29. It was the consensus that we would return to The Brew Kettle in Hudson. Ray has reserved the back room for us, but we will be ordering off the menu. To use the room, we must spend at least $500 in food and drinks. This should be around 20 - 25 people. It is always great to get together for an evening social, so I look forward to seeing many there.
Finally, our speaker this week will be Danielle Thompson from NEO Golf Charities.I look forward to hearing how their organization impacts our region.
We had a fantastic speaker to start off the new year. It was great to hear from Laurice Moore about the Aceing Autism program at Towpath Tennis Center. Their program was the 1st in the country to include adults as well as youth. They also provide programming for clients with disabilities beyond Autism and run year-round. If anyone is interested in volunteering (no tennis skills necessary), see the other story that shows their flyer.
Each year at All Ohio P.E.T.S. there is a challenge to support a specific charity before and during the event. This year the theme is “Rotary for Reading 2026” partnering with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio. If you are interested in participating look for the Rotary for Reading 2026 Story on our website.
This week we have our Students of the Month so I'm sure it will be outstanding as usual.
In the spirit of the season club members took turns ringing the bell for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign. It was great to see the generosity of the peope in our community. As usual our day kicked off with jolly old Saint Nick himself.
An estimated 500 million people worldwide became infected. Many cities closed theaters and cinemas, and placed restrictions on public gatherings. Rotary clubs adjusted their activities while also helping the sick.
This is how Rotary responded to the influenza pandemic that began in 1918 and came in three waves, lasting more than a year.
The Rotary Club of Berkeley, California, USA, meets in John Hinkel Park during the 1918 flu pandemic.
Photo by Edwin J. McCullagh, 1931-32 club president. Courtesy of the Rotary Club of Berkeley.
Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.
During World War II, Rotary informed and educated members about the formation of the United Nations and the importance of planning for peace. Materials such as the booklet “From Here On!” and articles in The Rotarian helped members understand the UN before it was formally established and follow its work after its charter.
Many countries were fighting the war when the term “United Nations” was first used officially in the 1942 “Declaration by United Nations.” The 26 nations that signed it pledged to uphold the ideals expressed by the United States and the United Kingdom the previous year of the common principles “on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.”
Women are active participants in Rotary, serving their communities in increasing numbers and serving in leadership positions in Rotary. The 1989 Council on Legislation vote to admit women into Rotary clubs worldwide remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary.
“My fellow delegates, I would like to remind you that the world of 1989 is very different to the world of 1905. I sincerely believe that Rotary has to adapt itself to a changing world,” said Frank J. Devlyn, who would go on to become RI president in 2000-01.
The vote followed the decades-long efforts of men and women from all over the Rotary world to allow the admission of women into Rotary clubs, and several close votes at previous Council meetings.
Every hero has an origin story. “I was 10 years old when the entire journey started,” explains Binish Desai. It began with a cartoon called Captain Planet, an animated TV series from the 1990s about an environmentalist with superpowers. Desai can still recite the show’s refrain: Captain Planet, he’s our hero / Gonna take pollution down to zero! “That tagline stuck in my mind,” he says. “I wanted to do something to help Captain Planet.”
In early 1919, Rotarian Roger Pinneo of Seattle, Washington, USA, traveled to the Philippines to try to organize a Rotary club in Manila. Leon J. Lambert, a Manila business leader helped Pinneo establish the club. Several months later, on 1 June 1919, the Rotary Club of Manila was chartered and became the first Rotary club in Asia.
The club would be the only one in the country for more than 12 years. Eventually, Manila club members organized Rotary clubs in the Philippine cities of Cebu (1932) and Iloilo (1933). Iloilo club members then started a club in Bacolod (1937), and Rotary continued to expand across the country.
An estimated 500 million people worldwide became infected. Many cities closed theaters and cinemas, and placed restrictions on public gatherings. Rotary clubs adjusted their activities while also helping the sick.
Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.
Every hero has an origin story. “I was 10 years old when the entire journey started,” explains Binish Desai. It began with a cartoon called Captain Planet, an animated TV series from the 1990s about an environmentalist with superpowers. Desai can still recite the show’s refrain: Captain Planet, he’s our hero / Gonna take pollution down to zero! “That tagline stuck in my mind,” he says. “I wanted to do something to help Captain Planet.”
In early 1919, Rotarian Roger Pinneo of Seattle, Washington, USA, traveled to the Philippines to try to organize a Rotary club in Manila. Leon J. Lambert, a Manila business leader helped Pinneo establish the club. Several months later, on 1 June 1919, the Rotary Club of Manila was chartered and became the first Rotary club in Asia.