Home Page | Rotary Club of Bethlehem Morning Star

Happy Dollars, Club Matching, Charitable Account, etc...
Please add a note to designate what you would like it to be used for.

Welcome to Morning Star!

Service Above Self

We meet In Person

Thursdays at 7:30 AM

Flatiron Building

5th Floor
301 Broadway
Bethlehem, PA 18015
United States of America

1st Thursday of the Month Meetings Held at 5:30 PM Artisan Wine & Cheese Cellar 55 W Lehigh St. Bethlehem, PA 18018

District Site

Bulletins

Venue Map

JUN 1, 2023 FIRST THURSDAY

First Thursday Happy Hour

Please join us this Thursday, Jun 1st for our LIVE meeting at 5:30 pm.

We meet at The Artisan Wine & Cheese Cellar

55 West Lehigh Street

Bethlehem, PA 18018

Come and enjoy some great hors d'oeuvres and warm Rotary fellowship. Friends and guests are welcome.

See you Thursday!

Yours in Service,

Rod Seifert

MAY 18, 2023 BOB BENNETT CLASSIFICATION

Please join the Rotary Club of Bethlehem Morning Star this Thursday, May 18th for our Live/Hybrid Meeting. Our meet & greet starts at 7:15am with the regular meeting starting at 7:30am.

Our speaker will be Bob Bennett presenting his Classification Talk.

You will have the option of joining us IN PERSON or via ZOOM. Please see Option details below:

IN PERSON LOCATION DETAILS:

The Flat Iron Building (5th floor)

301 Broadway, Bethlehem, PA 18015

Metered street parking is available on Broadway and on 4th Street. Meters begin at 8AM. Additional parking is available in the tenant parking lot along 4th & Wyandotte Streets and the Cathedral Church parking lot.

ZOOM Detail:

Topic: Bob Bennett - Classification Talk
Time: May 11, 2023 07:15 AM EDT

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85744230490?pwd=Rll0UUd2YmpEbkJmcE5udGZ6Y3ljZz09

MAY 25, 2023 PROGRAM TBD WATCH EMAIL

The program for May 25, 2023 is TBD. Please watch for a notification from President Rod. There will be no bulletin as Jean and I will be in Colorado for little work and R&R.

I leave you with this "Food" for thought from our friends at Traditions of Hanover:

Bon Appetit!

MAY 11, 2023 MARNIE MELVIN VISION TO LEARN

Our speaker was Marnie Melvin, Program Manager Central Pennsylvania, presenting "Vision To Learn/Mobile Vision Clinics." Marnie is very passionate about VTL!

Since starting in the area in Fall 2022, Vision To Learn has completed over 1200 exams and provided over 900 pairs of glasses!

VTL does not say no. All kids are welcome! Please click VTL for the full presentation on these life changing experiences for our kids!

MAY 11, 2023 BUTCH MACRI MSR LATEST PHF

Congratulations to BUTCH MACRI, PHF+2!

APR 28, 2023 RAFFERTY MEMORIAL SPAGHETTI DINNER

I would like to send a special Thank You to everyone who helped make the Audrey Rafferty Memorial Spaghetti Dinner a tremendous success.

Whether you sold tickets, were part of the kitchen staff, helped in the dining area or made desserts, your participation made our Rotary Spaghetti Dinner not only a fun social gathering but a profitable fundraiser.

It was great to see the Dining Room filled to capacity- the largest Eat-In crowd seen in many years! Rough estimates show that we had over 110 Eat-In diners and almost 70 Take-Out orders!! Certainly kept all volunteers busy!

The winner of the 50/50 drawing ($113.00) was a member of the church congregation who saw our Spaghetti Dinner advertised in the church bulletin and stopped by to support Rotary.

Your help with not only the specific position for which you volunteered, but also for just jumping in where needed was greatly appreciated!! Though very tired, it was an extremely warm and satisfying feeling when the lights were finally turned off and the doors locked at the end of the night.

Thank You!

Val

APR 28, 2023 RON HELMUTH SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Mike Long made an announcement regarding The Ron Helmuth Scholarship Fund established with Community Bike Works. Mike and Ron, both Past Presidents of Morning Star Rotary and avid cyclists, often covered many, many miles together. The Scholarship is in memory of Ron Helmuth, who tragically passed away in 2019.

The Ron Helmuth Scholarship at Community Bike Works seeks to provide youth who have completed Earn a Bike and demonstrated leadership within Community Bike Works with funds to help cover the expenses of post-secondary education, while also establishing these students as role models for younger Earn a Bike students.

Please see Ron Helmuth Scholarship for additional details and information on how you may participate in honoring Ron.

APR 20, 2023 MSR "GREEN TEAM"

The Bethlehem Morning Star GREEN TEAM led by Rick Morrissey’s introduction, made a compelling and very educational presentation on Practical ways to reduce plastic waste: Contributing to a more sustainable world.

Their objectives were to show:

What we use

Why it is a problem

What we can do about it

Here is a link to the slides for the presentation; then click Slideshow and advance slides in lower left. There is an embedded video on slide 5. The video has a great review of the problem with recycling plastics, and is as follows - NYTimes video : https://youtu.be/zVBkjMbF4Z4

After the intro by Rick Morrissey, Linda Mayger lead an exercise: List every product you used in the last 24 hours. Categorize as Reused, Recycled, or Disposed of as waste. The focus on plastics was the affect on our water, air and landscape; and EACH of us can do something about it.

If you wonder if something will be recycled, assume that it will not. Globally, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled while 22% is mismanaged.

Holly Sachdev defined the 4 R’s on recycling: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Holly, Jennifer Cunningham, and Indy Ishaya provided many great examples for in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry and the classic “Other” category, e.g., longer lasting medical items, largest bottles of meds, vitamins, eye care, etc., reuse bubble wrap from packages and bring your own bag to ALL stores, not just grocery!

Take the “Green Team Challenge.” Try out one strategy for replacing plastics with something else.

BYO MUG CHALLENGE JENNIFER CUNNINGHAM

In December, Green Team Member, Jennifer Cunningham, issued a Challenge to the club. She would donate a dollar to the club for each member in attendance to "Bring Your Own Mug" Following the Green Team presentation she provided a tally. Not sure of the "fuzzy math" she applied, but Jen presented a check for $588 for BYO Mug!

Thank you for a great initiative. The Club's matching points (available to all members) will make Jennifer a first time Paul Harris Fellow! Congratulations and many thanks.

MANYATTA GLOBAL GRANT FUNDING SUE BURNETT

Sue Burnett, MSR Grant Chair, was quite pleased to make the wonderful announcement that the $85,000 funding for the Manyatta Global Grant has been received!

Congratulations, Sue and all the hardworking members in support of this project!

APR 25, 2023 PRESIDENT ROD'S SPRING UPDATES

MSR Rotarians & Friends:

….calendar of club projects/fundraisers and district events for the remainder of the Rotary year is growing. I am sure everyone is pleased with the improved weather and looking forward to spring activities. I hope that we will see many of you at upcoming club meetings and have you participate in our club’s upcoming service projects and fundraiser. We have fantastic speakers scheduled for our remaining club meetings this year and I hope that we can honor many more of our members as Paul Harris Fellows.

If you have not yet donated to The Rotary Foundation this year, I encourage you to consider donating before the end of this Rotary year. Remember, the club will match your donation with accumulated club Foundation points up to $500. This is a great opportunity for you to achieve your first PHF or higher-level recognition. In addition, I have pledged to donate an additional $20 above my normal giving for each donating member who has not recently given to the TRF. I hope to have to make a substantial additional amount to my giving this year. Our club has a history of its support of TRF and members have already made our club one of the highest donators to the TRF again this year. However, less than 50% of our members have donated to date. If you have not given to TRF this year or in recent years, please consider donating in the coming months. Without The Rotary Foundation, we would not be able to have the impact and accomplish all of the fantastic projects in our community and around the world. I thank you in advance for your consideration.

APRIL

April 27, 2023 - Club meeting at the Flat Iron Building, 5^th Floor Community Room at 301 Broadway in South Bethlehem. Our speaker will be Victoria Montero, Executive Director of the Hispanic Center of Lehigh Valley.

April 28, 2023 – Audrey Rafferty Memorial Spaghetti Dinner at Advent Moravian Church at 3730 Jacksonville Road, Bethlehem. Please see recent e-mails/letter from Val Walk, Spaghetti Dinner Chair, regarding tickets, volunteer, and sponsorship opportunities. This is our final fundraiser for this Rotary year and helps fund our annual Audrey Rafferty Education Grant and other MSR grant recipients. This is an “all hands-on deck” fundraising project. Please sell/buy your allotted 6 tickets and volunteer for the many jobs that need to be covered at the dinner.

MAY

May 5-7, 2023 – District 7430 Conference at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Please join your fellow MSR and District 7430 Rotarians as we celebrate our many accomplishments this past Rotary year.

Yours in Rotary,

Rod

RODNEY L. SEIFERT

President, 2022-2023

Bethlehem Morning Star Rotary Club

Rotary International

District 7430

TRADITIONS OF HANOVER APR 13, 2023

Once again we were able to enjoy the generous hospitality of Traditions of Hanover,

Cathy Heimsoth, Executive Director of Traditions of Hanover and Megan Sedlock, Marketing Director welcomed Morning Star.

They had a special surprise for us -

Traditions of Hanover (TOH) version of MSR Happy Dollars.

Is TOH Personal Care, Independent Living, Memory Care or all 3?
Is there a Buy-in? No
What is the age of our Youngest resident residing here right now? (Answer: 57)
What is the age of our oldest resident residing here right now? (Answer: 103-104 in November)
What pets are allowed here? Small Dogs, Cats and Birds
What style apartments do we have? Studio, IBR and 2BR apartments
What other games and activities do we have besides Bingo? Happy Hour, Bus Trips, Live Music, Card Clubs Too Numerous to name all activities
How many meals are included? 3
Have there been romantic relationships made here? Yes!
In Rotary, who had a family member that resided here? (Rodney Seifert's father and Rick Santee’s Aunt)
What court do we have out back on our walking path? Bocce
Is there someone here 24/7? Yes, A Live-In Manager
What are visiting hours? (There are none-Friends and Family can visit at all hours)
What awards have we won? Voted Best Independent Living by World News Report, Best of 2023 Senior Living Award by Senior Advisor.com and 2023 Caring Super Star Award by Caring.com
What resources are available to residents here to help support them to age in place? Caregiver Service available on-site to hire through “Consider It Done”, Fox Rehab, Partnerships with reputable Visiting Nurses, Hospice Teams, Monthly visits by providers such as Dr. Rai through St. Luke’s, Dermatology, Audiologist, Podiatrist, Dental Hygienist etc.
Can residents bring their car? Yes
Do we have a waiting list? Yes
Can a resident leave and go on vacation? Yes
Can a resident have an overnight guest? Yes
Can residents choose to make their own meals? Yes, we have full kitchens in the apartments.

You might wish to hold onto this article for future reference for a family member, friend or perhaps yourself as we continue the Circle of Life.

A special thanks to Traditions for hosting MSR and a pretty sharp marketing presentation.

Click this link to see the residents in action We Choose Joy!

JUN 2-3, 2023 DR. INCALCATERRA MOM-n-PA DENTAL CLINIC

Charlie Incalcaterra, D.M.D. volunteers are still needed on the MOM-n-PA dental clinic coming to Allentown. (Mission Of Mercy-n-PA)

June 2 & 3 at the Allentown Fairgrounds.

Volunteers needed! TO REGISTER MOM-n-PA 2023 THANK YOU!

The 2023 clinic in the Lehigh Valley is expected to care for 2,000+ patients.

OCT 21, 2023 ROTAPLAST UPDATE

EXCITING Rotaplast Sweeney Todd UPDATE......Guess who is directing "Sweeney Todd" for the Rotaplast Oct 21st Fundraiser? Darah Donaher!!!! Does that name sound familiar? Darah is the daughter of our incoming DG Diane Donaher!!! We cannot wait to see what an amazing job Darah does!!!!

Don't forget, buy your tickets by the end of May and receive 10 FREE complementary Basket Raffle tickets!!! Raffle prizes include: Purses, wine, Peanut Brittle, restaurant gift certificates, Squishables!

To purchase your tickets, visit The Pennsylvania Playhouse here: paplayhouse.org and click on the Oct 21st performance of Sweeney Todd. ***All tickets include complementary preshow food and beverages!

Incoming Club Presidents: Looking for a sponsorship Opportunity? At the $1,000 level, you will receive 4 complementary tickets to the show, and at the $500 level, 2 tickets!

MAR 30, 2023 HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEHIGH VALLEY

Take a moment to watch this presentation to understand the growing need for organizations like Bloom for Women. Our appreciation goes out to Vickie Nisbet and Ashley Caravello for presenting to our club last Thursday.

Rotary continues to bring awareness in hopes of ending human trafficking through The Rotary Action Group Against Slavery (RAGAS). #RotaryFightsTrafficking

MAR 30, 2023 CELEBRATION OF PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS

On March 30 Morning Star had the opportunity and honor to celebrate 7 Paul Harris Fellow recipients.

Left to Right: Robin Metzler 8, Jean Searfoss 4, Linda Mayger 6, Tom Kolepp 6, Betty Isaacs 5, Holly Sachdev 1, Ginny Wolkoff 1 and presenters President Rod Seifert and District Treasurer Tom Hartzell

Congratulations to all! We thank you for all you do for Rotary and your continued support of The Rotary Foundation!

MAR 25, 2023 WENDY ELLSWORTH WOMAN OF ACTION

Wendy Ellsworth, one of our favorite "WOMEN OF ACTION" received the “Unbridled Spirit” Award by Frontier Nursing University March 25, 2023 in Versailles, KY.

"What an unexpected honor for me. You never know how something will impact your life many years down the road. My summer internship at the Frontier Nursing
Service in 1967 set into motion the service work that called to me many years later, in particular the work I have been devoted to in
Kenya since 2003. I am very humbled to be honored in this way."

Click Unbridled Spirit for pictures!

Congratulations Wendy and we thank you for all that you do!

Grateful to our Morning Star Rotarians

I want to take this opportunity to thank every one of our members who worked so hard to make our evenings at the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter successful again this year. The guests welcome us warmly and the staff is wonderful.

If the board agrees, we can repeat this service next year and involve more members of our club. We need no more than 7 volunteers in the kitchen at a time and 2 serving as shower monitors.

I look forward to calling upon you in 2024.

All the best,

Ginny

MAR 16, 2023 AMY ROSLEVEGE ROTARY ROSE PARADE FLOAT COMMITTEE

Planning to be in California in January? Be a part of a 42-year tradition of decorating beautiful floats and bring world-wide public awareness to Rotary’s mission. Amy Roslevege from the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee shared her uplifting experience decorating Rotary’s Rosebowl Parade Float with other members of Rotary, Rotaract and Interact.

May be an image of outdoors and text that says '2023 Float

MAR 16, 2023 RODNEY CONN PHF +5

Congratulations to Rodney Conn for achieving his 5th Paul Harris Fellow!

Presented by President Rod Seifert & District Treasurer Tom Hartzell.

MAR 9, 2023 DAS AWKSCHT FESCHT

PDG Bob Hobaugh is the Chair for the 60^th edition of Das Awkscht Fescht. Absolutely amazing how this is all done by volunteers and the history, not to mention it is self-funded and has always been profitable.

What is Das Awkscht Fescht

1. Motor Vehicles, Celebration & Family

2. Macungie Memorial Park Regional Asset

What Areas of Focus does the Fescht address?

1. Community & Economic Development

2. Maternal & Child Health

3. Peace & Conflict Prevention

Rotarian Involvement

In all 6 Phases

Click Das Awkscht Fescht Presentation then click I agree then download the presentation.

History of Das Awkscht Fescht I. Introduction.

Das Awkscht Fescht, known to English speakers as “The August Festival,” (the “Fescht”) is a three-day show of antique cars, trucks, motorcycles and tractors, with sales of antique toys, cars and automobilia. It is also a cultural event in Macungie Memorial Park (the “Park”) whose family-friendly aspects include a swimming pool, live music, food, beverages and crafts. The principal show day is the first Saturday in August, with the start day being the prior Friday and concluding on the following Sunday. The Fescht is influenced in name and flavor by the Pennsylvania German culture found in Macungie. It remains one of the largest antique and classic motor vehicle shows east of the Mississippi River.

The Fescht began in 1964 and ran continuously through 2019 until the COVID-19 pandemic caused organizers to hold over until 2021. Then it resumed with shouts of gratitude. The Fescht has been conducted in five phases through 2021. It had roots in prior agricultural and car shows for the benefit of the Park. Its history reflects the passion of the Macungie Memorial Park Association (the “Association”), the Ontelaunee Region (“Ontelaunee”) of the Antique Automobile Club of America (“AACA”), and thousands of volunteers. They all enjoy antique motor vehicles while raising money to maintain and operate the Park. This article is based on presentations given by Bob Hobaugh beginning in 2013. Bob gratefully acknowledges the historical information provided by Hon. Robert Young, David Bausch and others, and the records of the Macungie Historical Society.

Please read the History as the Macungie Memorial Park Association, a non-profit private activity – there are no tax dollars involved – was formed in 1944 to acquire and operate the Park. This evolution is an incredible example of community involvement from people all over the Lehigh Valley and East Coast.

Das Awkscht Fescht History The file is also in Downloads on our website.

Community Service opportunities: just reach out to Bob Hobaugh to volunteer.

- Field layout in advance

- Parking Friday through Sunday

- Distribute participate awards Saturday

- Distribute packets at registration tent

- Help preserve a regional treasure

OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023-2024

OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTED FOR 2023-2024

Congratulations to our newly elected leaders and thank you for your service to Morning Star Rotary.

President: Betty Issacs (2023-24)

President-Elect: Rodney Conn (2024-25)

Secretary: Val Walk

Treasurer: Jean Searfoss

Past President: Rodney Seifert (2022-23)

Sergeant-at-Arms: Robin Metzler

Directors: July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024

Sarabel Conn

Charlotte Hartmann-Hansen

Jim Santanasto

Directors: July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025

Jennifer Cunningham

Tom Hartzell

Robin Metzler

CLUBRUNNER PHONE APP - FREE!!!

JUST a reminder - see the following link CLUBRUNNER MOBILE APP for a short video on the free phone app and all the information readily available to you right on your phone! Makes that little cell phone a very valuable tool for a gazillion of your Rotary needs! Enjoy! Give a yell if any questions.