Please join Bethlehem Morning Star Rotary this Thursday, July 16, 2026, for our Live/Hybrid Meeting.Our meet & greet starts at 7:15am with the regular meeting starting at 7:30am.
Our speakers will be Paula Albanese and Wendy Wrightfrom Cay Galgon Life House.
Morning Star Rotary welcomed Dylan Stroup, Board Member of the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem to our July 9, 2026 meeting. Dylan is a third-generation Rotarian and a member of the Bethlehem Downtown Rotary Club. He spoke to our members regarding his upcoming adventure of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds and awareness for the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem through his "Climb for Kids" campaign.
The climb grew out of a personal fitness goal for Dylan that turned into a way to give back. He is a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem and wanted to combine his love of the outdoors with support for the club, which prepares kids facing food insecurity and difficult home situations for their own version of climbing a mountain.
Mount Kilimanjaro is 19,341 feet, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, and is considered a trek rather than a technical climb, meaning no ropes or glacier crossings. Dylan is carrying 20 to 25 pounds of daily gear while porters handle camp setup, cooking, and heavier equipment, and he is paying all his own trip expenses so that 100 percent of donations go directly to the Boys and Girls Club.
Dylan is funding the "Climb for Kids" campaign through corporate sponsors including Rotary, Just Born, and Post Road Management, each contributing 5,000 dollars, plus an employer match and individual donations, with about 11,000 dollars raised so far. He is planning a 10,000 dollar matching gift campaign launching the week before his August 1, 2026 departure, and credited Rotary specifically for helping him raise support he would not have had access to otherwise.
How Rotarians can help and support
Attend Dylan's final training day, July 25, 2026, a free 5K up and down Blue Mountain (1,000 feet up, 1,000 feet down), starting at 8:15 AM
Attend the Climb for Kids celebration on Thursday, September 17, 2026, from 4:30 to 7:30 PM, marking the end of the campaign
Contribute financially, including toward the upcoming 10,000 dollar matching gift campaign launching the week before his August 1, 2026 departure - Click Here to donate
Help spread awareness of the campaign and website, since the fundraising also depends on smaller individual donations
Send photos of Rotary events between now and September 17, 2026 so Dylan can promote Rotary as a sponsor on social media
Thanks to all members who have already paid their dues. If you have not yet paid the dues for 2026-2027, please do so ASAP! Thank you!
Morning Star Rotary Secretary Val Walk has emailed the club’s 2026-27 club dues invoice to active members. Full details are in e-mail and attached invoice.
If you haven’t seen it, please check your junk/spam folder, and contact Rodney Conn at rodneyconn@icloud.com if you need the invoice resent.
Please pay either...
$260 for the full Rotary year 7/1/26-6/30/27
– or –
$130 for the first six months 7/1/26-12/31/26
Payment method options include:
Check payable to Morning Star Rotary. Give to Rodney Conn at a meeting, or mail it to Rodney's attention at 39 Cherokee Street, Emmaus, PA 18049
Cash. Give to Rodney Conn at a meeting.
Debit or Credit card. By June 30, on www.morningstarrotary.com, log in, then scroll down to Site Pages on the left, and click Pay Dues Online Here. The club uses PayPal to collect it, but you do NOT need a PayPal account; Your debit or credit card is fine. The estimated PayPal fee is added to the dues amount.
Zelle. Between July 1 and July 7 (so it hits the bank in the correct Rotary year).
Your prompt cooperation will be appreciated. The club will pay Rotary International in July and Rotary District 7430 soon after, and active members as of 6/30/26 are in the headcount for those invoices to the club.
Please contact Rodney Conn with any questions or comments.
Flatiron Building, 5th Floor Community Room
