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Click Here to download "Salute the Troops" Concert Flyer
Click Here to download "Salute the Troops" Letter to Advertisers
Click Here to download "Salute the Troops" Ad Contract
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At our July 10, 2025 meeting, Morning Star Rotarians Mike Orbin, Susan Burnett, and PDG Diane Donaher, who recently returned from the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary, Alberta, gave us an overview of their personal experiences and the various happenings at this global event.
On June 26, 2025 Morning Star Rotary held its annual Changeover Ceremony honoring our current President, Rodney Conn and welcoming our incoming Officers and Board of Directors for the 2025-2026 Rotary year. Thank you to all the former Presidents who attended and participated in the traditional "Passing of the Gavel".
Congratulations President Rodney on your service to the club this past year and best wishes for the second year of your Presidency.
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Morning Star Rotary welcomed our Rotary Short-Term Exchange Student, Achille D. (left) from Pontoise, France, to our meeting on June 26, 2025. Achille is being hosted by the family of Morning Star Rotarian Bruce Whitehouse. Bruce's son Zach will be going to France to be with Achille's family in a few weeks. Welcome Achille!
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As part of our district grant, Morning Star Rotary sponsored Kenya Connect to bring a mobile library to the Kivutini School in Kenya twice a month. These are pictures from the first visit.
Morning Star Rotary is thrilled to celebrate a story of transformation from Kivutini School in Kenya—where the gift of literacy is reaching young minds, one mobile library visit at a time. Thanks to a dedicated grant from The Rotary Foundation, the mobile library program of Kenya Connect.
Together with the unwavering support of these amazing Rotary Clubs, this dream became a reality:
Bethlehem Downtown Rotary Club
Kutztown Rotary Club
Rotary Club of Doylestown
Rotary Club Of Nazareth
Rotary Club of Machakos
This isn’t just about books—it’s about building confidence, sparking imagination, and unlocking opportunity for students who deserve the world. Gratitude to every partner, volunteer, and donor who helped write this beautiful new chapter. Together, we’re truly changing lives.
From Kenya Connect: "It's a wonderful Wednesday to celebrate a new member of our school library program. Thanks to the Morning Star Rotary of Bethlehem, 158 learners at Kivutini Primary School are now part of our mobile library program. It was all smiles and excitement as learners enjoyed and acted out the read aloud story and checked out books!"
At our June 19, 20205 meeting, Kristen Walsh, Director of Development, for Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites gave a presentation on Bethlehem's UNESCO World Heritage status and its journey to achieve this recognition. She spoke to the implications of this designation, including increased tourism and funding opportunities, as well as ongoing preservation efforts and future projects in the historic district.
CLICK HERE to view presentation.
Visit the HBMS website historicbethlehem.org for more information.
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Our speaker at our June 12, 2025 meeting, Fred Rooney, shared his journey from practicing law to creating the first lawyer incubator program in New York City in 2007 which aimed to provide affordable legal services and training for young lawyers. He explained how the program evolved from a pilot project to a successful model that inspired similar programs across the country. He shared his extensive international experience with legal education programs, including his work with Fulbright and various incubator initiatives around the world, while highlighting the transformative power of education in challenging environments. Rooney highlighted the importance of combining social impact with financial sustainability in legal practice, and his ongoing work in promoting access to justice through global initiatives. CLICK HERE to view "A Dream Sponsored" video.
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At our May 22, 2025 meeting, we welcomed Lauren Geldon, Director of Community Transformation to introduce our members to Blue Zones, an initiative focused on promoting healthy lifestyles through environmental changes. Lauren presented an overview of Blue Zones and their Power 9 habits, explaining Bethlehem's three-year initiative to improve health through various community projects and policy changes. Her presentation prompted questions and discussion from the group regarding the organization, ways to support the Blue Zones project, and explored potential collaborations.
The Blue Zones Bethlehem Kick-Off will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM starting at the Sun Inn Courtyard. See the flyers below for details about the event and information regarding Blue Zones.
CLICK HERE to view her presentation.
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At our May 15, 2025 meeting we welcomed Raymond Santiago, Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Hispanic Center. Raymond spoke to our members about the City of Bethlehem's recently formalized sister city relationship with Patillas, Puerto Rico. This partnership aims to strengthen ties between the two communities through various initiatives, including cultural celebrations and exchange programs.
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At our May 8, 2025 meeting, the Morning Star Rotary "Women of Action" Team provided our members with an update on our ongoing grant projects in Kenya, which began almost three years ago after initial seeds were previously planted by MSR Rotarian Wendy Ellsworth. Team members Janet Kolepp, Susan Burnett, and Wendy Ellsworth presented an overview, update, and future plans on Morning Star Rotary's involvement in various grant projects in Kenya.
CLICK HERE to view project pictures and presentation.
Global Grant: Improving Maternal and Child Health by Modernizing the Ngaremara Level 2 Health Dispensary in Isiolo
Global Grant: Empowering Kambi Garba Pastoralists: Farming Center of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods
Kivutini Primary School Project
Phase 1 - The Rotary Foundation ∞ Bethlehem Morning Star & Members ∞ Machakos Rotary BeTheGood Fund (formerly Saucon RC Foundation)
Phase 2 - The Rotary Foundation ∞ Bethlehem Morning Star & Members ∞ Kutztown ∞ Nazareth Bethlehem ∞ Doylestown ∞ BeTheGood Fund
Global Grant: Kivutini School Sanitation and Menstrual Health Initiative
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GRANT PROJECT UPDATE
The fencing, gabions to stop erosion, lights in the classrooms, repaired and tiled veranda, and glass for the classrooms windows just before the cold season!
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Mentorship in action! On Friday evening, April 25, 2025, Morning Star Rotary members, Holly S., Shawn B., Jennifer C., Rick M., Tom & Janet K., joined Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem, Pa. for Teen Night, where they witnessed the incredible impact of this year’s Morning Star Community Grant. A group of talented teens wowed them by creating songs using iPads in GarageBand—a perfect example of creativity and opportunity coming together!
As they shared their passion for music, our MSR Rotarians shared their own experiences of service and giving back. And of course, no great night is complete without pizza and Cokes! We’re proud to support and uplift the next generation. Together, we mentor!
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On Thursday, April 24, 2025, Morning Star Rotary held its weekly meeting at Traditions of Hanover in Hanover Township. Our host speakers were Cathy Heimsoth, Executive Director and Megan Sedlock, Marketing Director of Traditions. They encouraged us to Tell Our Story! Thank you to TOH for hosting this annual meeting and providing a delicious breakfast for our members.
Our April 17, 2025 speaker was Bethlehem Morning Star Rotary member, Taylor Breinich, a certified arborist, and also a member of MSR’s Green Team. Taylor’s presentation focused on why native trees are essential to our planet’s regional ecosystems. She discussed the importance of native trees in the community and area landscape, explaining the difference between native and invasive species, highlighting their negative impact. Taylor emphasized the benefits of native species, such as sugar maples, red mulberries, and staghorn sumac, which provide food and shelter for various animals. She also discussed the importance of native species in supporting pollinators and storing greenhouse gases, listing common alien species and suggesting various native species that can be incorporated into our landscapes.
So why plant native?
• Native trees and shrubs are low maintenance. They have evolved in their respective regions and require less care for their survival, such as watering, which conserves water.
• Because they are native to their ecosystem, they are part of the food web and support wildlife biodiversity.
• Non-native trees, which can also be ‘invasive’ to natural environments, serve very little ecological value in-particular as a food source. Invasive tree species can ‘crowd out’ native species, thus making it more difficult for an ecosystem to recover from centuries of human impact.
Taylor, courtesy of Bartlett Tree Experts, offered members "bare root" saplings from four species of native trees to plant on our properties. Thank you to Taylor, Bartlett Tree Experts, and the MSR Green Team for promoting Morning Star Rotary's Earth Day Tree Project.
CLICK HERE for Tree Planting Instructions
On April 10, 2025, Morning Star Rotary welcomed Sichiv Sek from Sustainable Cambodia as our speaker. Sustainable Cambodia is a Rotarian-led nonprofit organization that empowers rural Cambodian families by helping them create a sustainable quality of life with safe water and sanitation, sustainable incomes, healthy food, and quality education for their children. Sichiv is an Educational Sponsorship Coordinator at Sustainable Cambodia, on the leadership team, and also a Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Pursat. She was hosted by MSR Rotarian, Mike Orbin, who is on the Board of Directors of Sustainable Cambodia. Sichiv joined Mike and other MSR Rotarians at last week's District Conference.
CLICK ABOVE to view presentation.
.Morning Star Rotary members volunteered at the Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering on three evenings during the 2024-2025 winter months. Members served food, washed dishes, and monitored the showers for the guests. Our Rotary members are passionate about providing sustainable solutions to poverty, which is why we support the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter both financially and as volunteers. The Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering is located at Christ Church UCC at 75 E Market Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18018.
A huge thank you to MSR Rotarian Justin Strasser for his exemplary work serving as Morning Star Rotary's coordinator for our service to Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering and to all the MSR Rotarians who volunteered their time to serve our community!
At our March 27, 20025 meeting, Scott Slingerland, Executive Director of CAT - Coalition for Appropriate Transportation of Lehigh Valley and MSR member Jennifer Cunningham, Vice President of CAT spoke to our members regarding the exciting work of their organization. CAT was the recipient of the 2023 Morning Star Rotary Community Grant in support of their efforts our community.
Scott discussed the organization's vision to support bicycling, walking, and public transit in the Lehigh Valley region highlighting the importance of human-powered mobility, emphasizing the involvement of people of all ages and the need for choices in transportation. Scott mentioned various resources and initiatives, such as mechanic classes, group bike rides, advocacy with local governments, CAT' "Bike to Work" Week, and the importance of pedestrian safety. He encouraged attendees to visit their bicycle cooperative and participate in their programs.
Jennifer discussed her preference for commuting by bike or walking, citing the benefits of mental health and cost savings. She shared her experiences of living close to work and adjusting her lifestyle to accommodate biking. Jennifer also mentioned her involvement with CAT and her desire to transform downtown Bethlehem into a bike-friendly area. She discussed various aspects of biking safety and road rules, emphasizing the importance of following the same road rules as cars, including stopping at red lights and stop signs. Jennifer also highlighted the significance of biking skills, such as using hand signals, making eye contact with other road users, and being aware of their surroundings.
