Happy New (Rotary) Year! The "year" of Rotary runs from July 1 through June 30, so we recently saw a changing of the guard in our club's leadership. With the 2017-18 Rotary year now in our rear-view mirror, let's take a moment to catch up on all of our great accomplishments! Get ready, because we have a lot of ground to cover, including membership, public image, service, and leadership development, to name a few. Here's to a great year where we all worked together in "Making A Difference." |
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We used to call ourselves small but mighty - but with 42 members, Rotary officially considers us a large club! While we are “growing” into that idea, we still see ourselves as a happy hour club focused on making a difference through active service in our local and global communities. Here’s what we’ve been up to recently...  We embraced a new year by making soup to help “Squash Hunger!” Our second year as a sponsor and hands-on volunteer team, our members rolled up their sleeves and donned gloves and hairnets to wash, chop, cook and stir (good) things up in support of the York Food Alliance and its efforts to address access to food in our local communities.March brought the promise of spring (on numerous occasions) – and a month long collection of personal care and comfort items to help Veteran’s Helping Hand prepare Blessing Backpacks for homeless veterans. Our Club’s “Happy Dollars”, donated at the the conclusion of each meeting to celebrate personal, professional and community moments of inspiration or achievement, were directed to support this service project.  Although we are serious about our service, we also enjoy our fellowship! Friends and family members joined us for a brisk and spirited walk on Market Street during the annual York St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Along the route, we shared greetings with friends and strangers alike, as well as other Club members who volunteered their time in support of this community event. |
 The Uptown York Rotary Club was a proud sponsor of this year's "Squash Hunger" event held over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. Thirteen club members also gathered on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at Seventh & George to help peel, chop, dice and stir as our Second Saturday monthly service project.
 "Squash Hunger", a project of the York County Food Alliance and this year's hosting partner Seventh & George, rallied more than a hundred volunteers to process donated squash and pumpkins into 250 gallons of squash soup. The soup was shared across York County with food pantries, WIC, Head Start, traditional housing programs and school backpack programs.
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Armed with "diggy-things" and assorted gardening tools (who knew "weeding sticks" were a thing?!?), the team made quick work of the transformation, leaving behind a more beautiful garden for the community to enjoy. The Club provides ongoing garden stewardship for the Liberty Garden as well as the Gear Garden at Foundry Park. Volunteers are always welcome to join us for our monthly "tending" meet-ups during the growing season! |
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On
 February 11, 2016, Uptown Rotarian Jim Singleton proudly accepted the designation of Paul Harris Fellow. Rotary Club of York Rotarian Scott C. Rogers, a co-worker of Jim at Glatfelter Insurance Group, recognized Jim with this honor. Congratulations to all! What a great way to honor a great Rotarian and support The Rotary Foundation. |
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Since our normal Club meeting day is Thursday, we did not have an "official" Rotary Club meeting on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2015. However, a large number of our members participated in a cherished York tradition--the Turkey Trot sponsored by the York YMCA. This 5K race the morning of Thanksgiving gave us a chance to share Rotary cheer with our fellow members, and we even caught a photo of many of us at the finish line! You know what they say. . . . "A club that trots together, is AWESOME!"
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Prospective members are invited to join us to learn more about our vibrant club and what it means to be a Rotarian!
We welcome Jody Keller, owner of Jody L. Keller LLC human resources management and strategy consulting firm, as our guest speaker. Jody was one of the first female women inducted as a member to the Rotary Club of York in the 1980s, and served as the club's first female president. An enthusiastic supporter of York programs and projects, Jody will share the gift of Rotary with her usual enthusiasm and good humor.
Join us on Thursday, August 27 at 5:30 at Central Market York's Performance Kitchen (via Mudhook Brewing Company).
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What an honor it is to serve as the President of the Uptown York Rotary Club!
This year’s Rotary Theme, as established
 by Rotary International President, “Ravi” Ravindran, is “Be a Gift to the World.” This theme encourages Rotarians to give the gifts of time, talent and knowledge to improve lives in communities across the globe. I had the privilege of meeting President Ravi at PETS, and was moved by his keynote address on how Rotary has been a gift to him throughout the years. We are happy to carry out this theme at the Uptown Club – where we will use this year to Be a Gift to our Community! |
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When members of Uptown York Rotary Club decided that as one of our community service projects, we would sponsor a forum for candidates on the ballot for County Commissioner and York City Council, we thought it would be a better program if we involved other groups that might bring more points of view into the planning. So we asked Downtown Inc. and the Alliance of Neighborhood Associations (ANA) to join us as co-sponsors, and asked their help in putting on the event and in developing a good, meaty set of questions to ask the candidates. The Forum, held on April 20, turned out well. Ben Moylan and Lewis Delauder from the Alliance, Sonia Huntzinger from Downtown Inc and David Corman from Uptown leaped into action on the planning committee, joined by Uptown’s president, Victoria Connor, and Rotarians Kevin Cysyk and Rob Bernhard. The School District of the City of York loaned us not only the sound system that gave every candidate a microphone, it loaned us able sound engineer Chris Touras. We had marvelous cooperation from the Yorktowne Hotel’s Rick Cunningham, Leslie Einhorn Ravitz and Chef Derek, who prepared a special “quick bites” menu for the evening at the OffCenter Grill. Finally, we wrapped it up with an excellent emcee, Victoria Connor; two superb moderators, Sonia Huntzinger for the County Commissioners’ forum and Ben Moylan for the City Council forum. The ANA’s Mary Anne Bacas and Uptown’s Jim Singleton rounded out the work crew to assure that the event went smoothly. Most importantly, all of the candidates agreed to participate and accepted with good humor our stipulation that they must prepare and deliver an “Elevator Speech” consisting of no more than 27 words, deliverable in 9 seconds, and covering 3 points. All 11 candidates even turned in their speeches on or before the deadline we gave them! Thanks to all who helped us provide this service to citizens -- those who attended the forum, as well as those who learn about it via post-forum coverage from the City’s White Rose TV and from both local newspapers. We urge everyone to vote in the Primary Election on May 19th. Genevieve Ray |
Uptown York's Past President Michael Juiliano is currently visiting Argentina and had the opportunity to attend a Rotary meeting in the town of 9 de Julio. |
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Uptown Babies Andrew Bruck and Dempsey Myers made an appearance, and posed for a photo with their parents and President Juiliano. |
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Uptown member Chad Myers and his wife Jamie welcomed a baby boy, Dempsey Kai Myers, on June 27th at 8:48am. Dempsey weighed 6lbs, 8.2oz and was 18.5" long. Congrats! |
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Uptown member Scott Bruck and his wife Melissa welcomed a baby boy, Andrew Scott Bruck, on June 22, 2013 at 2:51pm. Andrew was 6lbs, 1.2oz and 18 1/2" long. Congratulations Scott & Melissa, and welcome to the Rotary family Andrew! |
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Roseanne "Rosie" Maglione, a founding Uptown member, is surprised with flowers at her last meeting with our Club. Thanks for all you've done over the past 2+ years to get the Uptown York Rotary Club established! We'll miss you! |
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Uptown member Amy Chamberlin engages the Club in a discussion on York County's role in the Civil War, in observance of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. |
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Renowned local artist, Brenda Wintermyer, graced us with her presence and shared her passion for art, as well as some of her works with us. Thank you, Brenda! |
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We recently traveled offsite to Family First Health, located at 116 S George St, and heard all about this great organization from Executive Director Jenny Englerth and Dr. Asceline Go. |
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That's right - our very own Scott Bruck offered up his sweet bod to go through a mock C-section exercise at childbirth class. Scott and his lovely wife Melissa are due on July 15th. |
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Carol Kauffman, Community Development Director at Crispus Attucks Association, delivers a fascinating presentation on William C. Goodridge, the Goodridge Freedom House and its role in the Underground Railroad, and Crispus Attucks' efforts to restore the house. |
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Amy Chamberlin presents Judy Chambers with her 6th Paul Harris Fellow award. Congratulations, Judy - and thank you so much for your contributions to Rotary! |
 Assistant District Governor, Lew Elicker, speaks to the Uptown York Rotary Club about the 4 Way Test Speech Contest. |
 Uptown York Rotary Club member, Yvon Tatafasa, speaks to the club about his homeland of Madascar. |
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Uptown York Rotary Club members raising spirits through community service by sprucing up the Gear Garden! Very appropriate that our club has adopted this park as our ongoing service project as, not only is it located uptown, the Rotary logo is also gear!! Affixed to the coat lapels of men and women in lands around the world is a wheel with six spokes, twenty-four cogways and a keyway. It identifies the wearer as a Rotarian, one of more than 1.2 million business and professional executives who belong to more than 30,000 Rotary Clubs in more than 160 countries on six continents. The basic design of the emblem, the wheel, dates back to 1905, the year the first Rotary Club was organized in Chicago, Illinois. Shortly after the formation of the Chicago Club, the members submitted recommendations based upon the wheel which they believed would best symbolize the character of the new organization. Designs ranged from simple buggy wheels to elaborate locomotive wheels. Some incorporated clouds into the design. One even superimposed a ribbon emblazoned with the inscription “Rotary Club”. In 1910, when the National Association of Rotary Clubs was formed, they discovered almost as many designs as there were Clubs. Prior to the 1912 convention in Duluth, Minnesota, the national headquarters invited all Clubs to submit recommendations for an emblem based upon the wheel. Together, they selected a gear wheel in royal blue and gold as Rotary’s official emblem. It survived untouched for only eight years. Engineers quickly recognized that Rotary’s new gearlike emblem was mechanically unsound; it could do no work because it lacked a keyway by which it could be locked to a shaft. Following several years of study, the Rotary emblem as we presently know it was adopted in 1923. The gear was no longer an idler, but was now capable of transmitting power to or from a shaft. The wheel had been “turned on”, and it has been rolling ever since…
— at Foundry Park On The Codorus. |
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Uptown York Rotary President, Michael Juiliano and Treasurer, Joseph Calabretta, present donation to Melissa Smith, Executive Director of the SPCA of York |
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Reminder to all - please "like" our new facebook page and be sure to share on your timelines to invite your friends to do the same. This is another tool to help grow our club's membership and let the general public know about the great things we are doing in our community and beyond.
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