Upcoming Speakers and Events
 
Welcome to the Hatboro Rotary Website
contact us at
hello@hatbororotary.org
Service Above Self

We meet Wednesdays at 7:30 AM
Hatboro Dish
102 S. York Rd.
Hatboro, PA  19040
United States of America
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Our guest speaker was Anne Anastasi who founded Genesis Abstract in 1994 and currently serves as the President of Troon Management Company. Anne previously served as the President of the American Land Title Association and has received several awards. In 2006, she was recognized by PLTA with the James G. Schmidt Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding service to the industry. In 2013, the PLTA recognized Anne with the prestigious Albert E. Pentecost Award, and was named an honorary member of ALTA. In September 2021, Anne received the Anne L. Anastasi Trailblazer Award for Outstanding Achievement and Innovation, recognizing her leadership and advocacy for the title insurance industry.
 
 

Bill Seedes, Executive Leader – Willow Grove YMCA, has over 28 years’ experience in YMCA’s, private health clubs, and medical based facilities.  Has established multiple partnerships to better serve the communities mental, physical and spiritual wellness.  Involved in capital and construction projects at established YMCA’s.  Experience with large memberships (20K plus) and budgets exceeding $8M.  Responsible for the day to day operations, supervising multiple locations while providing community based engagement programs through education and functional implementation practices.  Experience with athletic populations and chronic disease management. Bill is also a fellow Rotarian and currently a member of the Willow Grove Rotary.

So have you been wondering how things are going now that the Y is in willow Grove?? It has grown and continues to grow! We were fortunate to have Bill talk to us today and give us an update on the programs and happenings at the Y. We thought it best to present you all with Bill's power point. It will give you some insight into how things are going. We also urge you to visit the Y website for info on programs, camps, financial aid and you can take a virtual tour of the facility.

https://www.philaymca.org/locations/willow-grove-ymca

Click the link below for the power point presentation.

https://1drv.ms/p/s!AsOY9nS46u96qS4zixKYUwhnFdbW?e=JW5wE4

To make the slides show, click the first slide and then slide show. (If you have a problem, please let me know, (baschupeltz@aol.com)

  • Happy Birthday Tom B (Feb 25)
  • Congrats to Diane H who celebrates her 1 year anniversary in Rotary Mar 2nd
  • Our Dine and Donate at PJ Whelihan'ss yielded $159 for the club!
  • Horsham Miracle Field fundraiser! Sunday beginning at 10 am at Angelo's Italian Kitchen. Please purchase tickets in advance. Call 215-654-1300 or stop by Angelo's Italian Kitchen to get your brunch or dinner reservation!
    ~ Tickets are $50 for adults and $20 for kids 12 and under.
    ~ Brunch seating times include 10am and 12pm which includes a complimentary mimosa or bloody mary.
    ~ Dinner buffet seating times include 2pm, 4pm and 6pm which includes a complimentary glass of white or red wine.
     
We would like to send a huge thank you to Jill's Husband John who works for Colorcon. The company reached out to their employees for ways to help families in disaster relief areas. John responded with information about ShelterBox and our club's involvement. Two hours later they offered to cover a complete ShelterBox. We are  incredibly grateful for the generosity of Colorcon .That $1000 donation will help more families in need. 
  • Next Evening get together 22 Feb at Farm and Fisherman in Horsham
Congrats to Tom F. on another PHF 
Rotary Anniversaries!!    Congratulations!!
        Jesse   17 yrs Feb 15
        Rob    11 yrs Feb 23
        Dar     13 yrs Feb 25
                       
Speaker: Matt Edmond, Assistant Director of Transportation & Long Range Planning for Montgomery County and Executive Director of the Montgomery County Transportation Authority.  His primary responsibilities are transportation and administration section management, county transportation policy development, project management, budgeting regional transportation planning, and liaison with other planning commissions.
The services the planning commission provide include professional planning assistance to our municipalities, municipal training, program management, project and plan development, informative publications, and other products.
A staff planner assists communities in planning as well as administrative help with paperwork and connecting communities with other resources.
Current projects:
1.Warminster Rd Bridge...replace this year which will affect traffic patterns as there is not enough room at the bridge to have a passable lane during the project.
2 County Line Rd..... May not be completed for 2-3 more years.
3 Horsham township widening of Blair Mill Rd.
4 BIG project...Turnpike interchange in Willow Grove. Goal: enhance turnpike accessibility, modernize interchanges, more direct connections; better distribute local and regional traffic. (next 5-10 years)
5Eastern Montco interest group; Coordinates projects, speak as one as local municipalities participate and work together.
For more information and to explore what is happening with the Planning Commission and Transportation, follow the link https://montcopa.org/490/Planning-Commission

Thank you, to all participants of the Hatboro Rotary Super Bowl Squares fundraiser. It raised $1,669 for our club, to help support many local charities and organizations. Plus, we had four lucky winners: Jonathan Riches, Charles Lockhard, Suzzane and Russ Fairlie, and Kristin Avallon.

 

 
Speaker: Rotarian Barb R .
  • Rotary responds to devastating earthquake in Turkey. DG Len has sent an email to all district Rotarians regarding the response to aid those who have been affected by the earthquake. Shelter Box is responding and lending aid. Contact Jesse if you wish to contribute to raising funds for Shelter Box. Our club has been a strong supporter of ShelterBox...each $1000 raised enables us to purchase another box for ShelterBox.
  • It has been 1 year since the fighting began in Ukraine. Many countries have taken in refugees and have resettlement camps. 
  • World Polio Day Tues October 24 2023. Now is the time to download the Rotary Polio Day tool Kit from the RI website.
Speaker: Eric Lindhult ,General Manager of the Upper Moreland, Hatboro, Joint Sewer Authority (UMHJSA).

The Upper Moreland-Hatboro Joint Sewer Authority provides collection, conveyance and treatment of wastewater from its customers in the Borough of Hatboro and Upper Moreland Township, and services portions of Bryn Athyn Borough, Horsham Township, Upper Dublin Township and Warminster Township.

To Flush or not to Flush!! 
  • Flushable wipes are not flushable.
  • Medications (take them to a drop off such as Hatboro Police station)
  • Grease, paint, oil, any hazardous waste
  • Be careful of your contacts..take them off so they don't drop into the toilet.
  • Bottom line: ONLY flush toilet paper down your toilet and no other paper products. Wipes and paper towels should be disposed of with your household trash.
The sewer authority has 44 employees, and someone is there every night. There are 125 miles of pipe just in Hatboro alone. There is a wealth of information on the UMHJSA website. http://www.umhjsa.org/index.html
The dedicated staff works diligently to maintain the excellent treatment of the wastewater. Recent plant upgrades (e.g., emergency generator, upgraded disinfection units, enhanced influent screening, effluent pump station to allow us to discharge into the Pennypack Creek during flooding conditions, influent bypass pumping station) have improved our ability to maintain the excellent record of environmental compliance. The plant has operated without an effluent discharge permit violation since 2006, when severe flooding in Upper Moreland resulted in excessive flows to the plant and dangerous conditions within the plant due to flood waters. There is a great deal of information on the UMHJSA website and an archive of their back additions of the newsletter. You can also take a virtual tour of the facility. Thank you, Eric, for the information!

Welcome to the Hatboro Rotary Super Bowl Squares competition. This is a fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Hatboro a Service Organization that supports many local charities and organizations. Thank you for your participation.


Hatboro Rotary Super Bowl Squares is an online squares contest created for free at Hatboro Rotary Super Bowl Squares | Super Bowl Pool Site

For each available square you select a $22 donation should be made to the Hatboro Rotary Club using the DONATE button on this website or to a Rotary Club member.
When all squares have been selected numbers 0 to 9 will be randomly assigned to the columns and rows.
At the end of every quarter, the person whose square corresponds with the intersection of the second digit of each team’s score wins a prize (for example, a 14–7 score at the end of the first quarter pays out the owner of the square at row 4, column 7).
$100 first quarter
$150 half time
$100 third quarter
$200 end of game
A check from the Rotary Club of Hatboro will be sent to each of the winners.

This contest was created by Gary Chamberlain. If you have any questions about this contest, please direct those questions via email to the commissioner at garychamberlain311@gmail.com
 
  • Birthday wishes to Rob Jan 28th and to Sue Jan 24
  • Great turnout for our Hat Packs Service Project
  • As of Feb 20 2023, Amazon Smile is no longer donating to your favorite charity which includes HAT Packs. Please keep this in mind as you decide on charities to donate to in 2023. It cost about $4000 a week to feed children in the program. Alternate ways to donate https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/HATPacks or send check to HAT Packs 22 Harding Ave, Hatboro PA 19040
We welcome back Chris Mendel to talk about the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust.
In existence for 52 years the trust mission is to steward the Pennypack Preserve natural area as an important component of the region’s natural areas network, and to educate and encourage people to appreciate, enjoy, and protect the Preserve’s native ecosystems.
Some of the areas the Trust concentrates on:
  • Open space protection and acquisition: As the steward of 852 acres of protected meadows, woodlands and floodplain forest, the Trust manages Montgomery County’s second-largest privately owned natural area that is open to the public. They continue to purchase open spaces to protect that land from developers. There is definitely competition from groups to purchase land and develop it thus eliminating open space and many of the animal habitats.
  • Habitat Protection: Protecting animal habitats 
  • Maintaining forest areas, trails and reforestation projects
As you can imagine, protection of open spaces and animal habitats takes more staff then the Trust has. There are many opportunities to volunteer with this organization. One of our Rotarians has participated in at least 15 volunteer activit1es at the trust with the Boy Scouts. Last year this club worked with the Trust doing some work in a creek as well as cleaning up the area around the creek. Do you have a skill, want to learn a new skill, have a few free hours a month to volunteer?  There are many opportunities for volunteers both outside and also in the office and visitor center. For more information regarding volunteering please contact volunteer coordinator, Kevin Roth, at kroth@pennypacktrust.org
For more information on the Trust and information on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and more please visit their website https://pennypacktrust.org/about/
We had a great turnout on Jan 24th to help HAT Packs pack the food containers to take to the schools. 343 Children will be receiving packs of food this week and we are proud to be able to help. You can see some of the photos on the right. We had a great time and were able to not only help but were able to chat with each other as we stood in line to pack up bags of food. When we were done, more then 13 of us went to PJ Whelihan's for Dine and Donate which our club sponsored. Thanks everyone who turned out for both activities and thanks to the families and friends who joined us!! 
 
  • Don't forget to choose your Superbowl squares! You could be a winner.
Maddy is the Community Outreach coordinator for Angel Flight East (AFE), a nonprofit organization whose Mission is to provide free air transportation to qualified patients and their families by arranging flights to distant medical facilities, delivering supplies to disaster areas, and reuniting families during desperate times. AFE was founded in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew. During 1993 AFE flew 17 flights, today they fly greater then 900 to 950 flights a year.
AFE serves the Northeastern region of the United States, and for destinations beyond their reach, they link with other volunteer pilot organizations. Anyone who requests a flight must be medically stable, able to board an aircraft, and fly in a small non-pressurized aircraft. One companion may accompany an adult patient and 2 companions may accompany a child. volunteer Pilots use their own aircraft for a mission and assume all costs of the flight including fuel, landing fees and other expenses such as liability insurance.
It is not only patients that may be flown by AFE. During the Pandemic, volunteer pilots flew several missions to deliver personal protect equipment (PPE) to dozens of medical and rural area facilities. Some items delivered included face masks, hand sanitizer and more. (Some of those flights were over 400 miles.)
How to request a flight: please visit the AFE website https://angelflighteast.org/passengers/ for more information not only about requesting a flight but the length of time it takes to get a flight, documents required and information for patients. This is a wonderful organization and I urge you to explore the AFE website.Thanks, Maddy
Welcome back to a new year...2023! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday.
  • Congrats to Kathy S who reaches 10 years in Rotary on Jan 9th
  • Jan 18th meeting will be a General Assembly
  • Jan 25 Evening social. Place to be announced later
  • Board Slate for next Rotary year was approved! 
  • Gary sent out an E-mail for the annual Super Bowl Pool fundraiser-check your E-mail
 
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is one of the largest and most highly trained law enforcement agencies in the County and includes several divisions and specialty units serving more than 900,000 residents with a staff of 130 law enforcement officers, 3 K-9s and 20 admin staff. The mission of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is to protect and serve a diverse community of residents by respecting and valuing diverse life experiences and heritages in order to ensure that all voices are valued and heard.    
 
Sean Kilkenny was elected in 2015 and reelected in 2019. He is a retired LT Colonel in the Army having served 2 decades in the US Army and Army Reserves. Sean is married and has 2 daughters. He also runs a Law Practice.
I'm betting you might not know what a County Sheriff's Office actually does and what are its biggest challenges. Certainly, the biggest challenge they face are recruitment and retention. Unfortunately, the deputies are paid less than many local police throughout the County and they often leave for better paying jobs.
Some of the many divisions and duties within the department:
  • CERT Team which handles high profile incidents
  • K-9 Unit has 3 K-9s which work with other agencies on many shared operations.
  • BOMB Unit has 9 Techs and robots (which can go a mile out from tech)
  • Bike Control Unit
  • Motorcycle Deputies
  • Honor Guard (which recently won the State Competition)
  • Ballot Security
  • Training. Gun safety
  • Warrant Division
  • Transportation and Detention: Transport prisoners throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and perform extraditions from other states for court proceedings.
  • Courts: Enforce court orders. 
  • Ensure safety within the Montgomery County Justice Complex.
  • Civil: Serve all criminal and civil writs issued by the Courts.
  • DUI: Assist other law enforcement agencies process DUI offenders.
  • Real Estate: Conduct sales of real and personal property.
  • Issue licenses to carry firearms.
  • Assist local and regional law enforcement agencies during emergencies and apprehensions.
  • The Sheriff's Office is called upon during riots, prison breaches, strikes and other emergencies which are or may be a breach of the peace.
There is much to learn about the County Sherrif's Department and its History.
Here are two links you might want to take a look at. Become informed!
1 Power Point Presentation PowerPoint Presentation (montcopa.org)
2 Website for Montco Sheriff's Department https://montcopa.org/428/About-the-Office
Thank you, Sean, for the interesting and informative talk. We hope you return again soon.
 
 
DG Len is a member of Pottstown Rotary. He went to Millersville University and after college, joined the Navy from 85-90. Len is married to Kirsten, who is also a Rotarian. His Dad was also a Pottstown Rotarian. 
Membership: DG Len shared with us the growth of Rotary as it welcomed Rotaract as official members of Rotary. So, as wonderful as it is to have so many new members of Rotary, we cannot forget that every seven years we lose 1.2 million members. Are we as a club taking care of our New Members and keeping them engaged in Rotary? Think about these things: what brought them to rotary and what would they like to accomplish? Are we meeting their needs and helping them to assimilate into Rotary?
Other topics DG Len spoke about: 
Foundation: Foundation is a part of us. The money donated to foundation comes back to us in 3 years' time to be used for District Grants...We have benefited from foundation money as we received a matching grant to purchase the wheelchair accessible playground equipment for the Pennypack playground.  Donating to Foundation can be as easy as donating $5-$10 a month through Rotary Direct. 
Service Projects: As a club we do many service projects but we could remember to promote Rotary to those we work with who are not Rotarians.
District conference: May 5-7 in Atlantic City at the Tropicana. More Info about the Conference can be found by clicking on the District 7430 home page on this site.
And certainly, last but not least we talked about the current Female RI president: Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, the first woman to hold that office in Rotary's 115-year history. 
What does the Image logo mean?...I am reposting it for you!
 

What makes a Rotarian and drives us to make a difference each day?  Our annual theme sheds some light, and our newest – Imagine Rotary – says it all. For more of the story, see below!

People and connections – the logo of the 2022-23 presidential theme |  Rotary Voices

The theme urges all Rotarians to "dream big and take action", uniting to work toward positive global change.  Says Jennifer, "We all have dreams, but acting on them is a choice.  Imagine a world that deserves our best, where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.” 

Riki Salam, an Australian graphic designer and artist specializing in contemporary Indigenous art, design, and communications, designed the colorful logo for our new theme.

What does the design mean?

In Aboriginal culture, the circle represents our connections to one another.  The seven dots surrounding the circle represent not only people and society, but Rotary's seven areas of focus.

Together, the circle and dots form a "navigation star – our guiding light."  The line underneath represents a basic tool -- a digging stick -- a metaphor for doing hard work: indeed, Rotary In Action.

The color scheme can be interpreted in several ways.  For example, purple represents polio eradication; green, the environment; and white represents our central mission, peace.  Jennifer, the first female President in the history of Rotary International, noted that the color scheme in part also pays homage to the global women's suffragette movement.  

Want to learn more??

https://www.rotary.org/en/jennifer-jones-imagines-rotary-fulfilling-big-dreams

Charles is one of three people at Lehman managing the food pantry.
Clients must be within a 5-mile radius of the pantry to receive goods. At a first visit, client must sign up and show their ID card. If they are not within the 5-mile radius, pantry staff will try to find a pantry nearer to their home.
What's different at this pantry:
  • Try to give fresh fruits and veggies, Eggs, butter (once a month), cheese
  • always try to give a protein and have had (fortunately) many donations of meats
  • toiletries once a month
  • All clients receive a bag with items such as cereal, canned goods, pasta, pasta sauce, soup, canned fruits etc.
  • Receive donations from Garden of Health and Grocery Outlet among other organizations. Do share items and also receive items from other food pantries in the area.
What is needed:
  • Still need Volunteers to help go through donations and put unexpired items on the shelves.
  • In the summertime help is always needed.
Lehman food pantry is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 to 1200. Clients may come once a week for items
  • Rotary Anniversaries: Jill 5 years; Russ  41 years
  • Madrigal singers will be here Dec 21
Boodle Brigade has readied the packages for shipping!
 
In 1958 Art Began his post high school education at Brooklyn College. He knew he wanted to work in the sciences and in his sophomore year he decided to study Virology. In 1962 he and Sue moved to Buffalo to study for his PHD. In 1967 Art received his PHD and for the next 35 years he worked for Merck as a virologist in vaccine development. Think about this..there were unexplained outbreaks of a neurological disease in Muzaffarpur, India beginning in 1995. Generally, this was a seasonal event affecting children. Still in 2013-14 no cause had been determined but it was postulated that there is a connection with the Litchi fruit. For a researcher, wouldn't you want to find the cause AND develop a vaccine to prevent this?? Do researchers experiment on each other....Well not really but they do (and Art did) take experimental vaccines that he and his staff made. So no, Art didn't try to infect himself but did try to expose himself to influenza and other pathogens.
Here are some of the vaccines that Art helped develop that are currently in use: rubella; original Adult Pneumonia; Hepatitis B; HIB (Hemophilus B) Middle ear infections, pneumonia, meningitis and septicemia in young children.  It takes a lot of study, experimentation, trial and error before a vaccine is developed. Some may take up to 20 years or longer to develop. On the other end of the spectrum, he has also worked on many (Chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, Herpes, HIV) that researchers have not yet figured out. When a vaccine is developed and licensed for use, there is follow-up such as required reporting to VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Eveny Reporting System; VICP National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program; NVSN New Vaccine Surveillance Network; as well as the Detection of New Strains. 
Many thanks to Art for this presentation. It was interesting and informative.
 
 
 
  • Celebrations: Tom Post, Birthday; Marty Palmer Birthday; Don Solomon Wedding Anniversary. Congrats to all and hope you had great celebrations!
  • Parade: Marty will ride in a car and other Rotarians will walk behind car. 1:15 meet at Quigs
  • Donations for Kids Christmas go to Linda Roehner
  • No Social this month
  • Dec 14 Club Holiday Celebration
 
Steve Fine, the President of the Melanoma Education Foundation, attended colleges in the Boston area, receiving a doctorate in chemistry from Northeastern University.  He then moved to PA, completing a year of post-doctoral research at Lehigh University.  After 5 years as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Lafayette College in PA, he moved back to New England where he served in technical and management positions in high-tech chemical companies.  In 1989 he started consulting practice in the technology of high-purity chemical manufacturing, concurrently serving for 3 years as Vice President of Technology for ACSI, a West Coast manufacturer of semiconductor chemicals.  Shortly after his son Dan died of melanoma in 1998 at the age of 26, he founded the non-profit Melanoma Education Foundation and, since August of 2001, has devoted full time to the Foundation.  The primary activity of the Foundation is educating high school and middle school wellness teachers about melanoma skin cancer and providing them with free online lessons to educate their students about seld-detecting melanoma while it is curable.  At last count over 1700 schools in all 50 states were using the lessons.
 

Melanoma Education Foundation Web Pages:            For Everyone: https://www.skincheck.org 

            For Health & Wellness Educators and Students: https://www.melanomaeducation.net

Video Links

                30-Minute Early Self-Detection/Prevention Video: https://bit.ly/3hipmFK

                        (The video above has most of the Rotary Presentation Content)

               16-Minute High School Student Video: https://bit.ly/2CBzdoT

               22-Minute Middle School Student Video: https://bit.ly/2yv32Ep

               30 Minute Health Teacher Training Video: https://bit.ly/3jqzejP

  • Pennypack Playground Groundbreaking, Oct. 22: Hatboro Rotary will have a tent there between 10-12 to host a rock painting station. we need a good showing of members, contact katrinalsullivan@gmail.com if you can attend.
  • Bowling Event, Oct. 26: Thunderbird Lanes Warminster 6-8 refreshments will be served. contact Jill at jbarton@bartonestatelaw.com to reserve your spot.
  • Pints for Polio, Oct. 27: Artifact Brewery, Hatboro 5-8. Come support our Area 7 social and fundraiser
  • Hatboro Federal Savings Skeleton Scurry, Oct 29: To volunteer at this event between 8-11 contact the Hatboro Chamber or email garychamberlain311@gmail.com  
  • Call for volunteers at The Food Pantry at St. John's:
    The Food Pantry at St. John's Volunteers: The Food Pantry at St. John's (signupgenius.com)
  • 300 Boodle Brigade: The 300 Boodle Brigade’s primarily purpose is to send care packages (Boodle) to deployed soldiers. Donations can be given to Barbara Rudakevych at our Wednesday meetings or contact brudake@gmail.com to arrange drop off. All donations need to be in by Wednesday, November 9th so they can be packed and ship ped before Thanksgiving.  
Richard (Rick) James, President of The Board of Directors of HealthLink Dental Clinic and a Rotarian from the Central Bucks Club presented to our club.
Rick explained that the mission of the organization was to improve the overall health of qualified low-wage earning adults and veterans in Bucks and Montgomery counties by providing free preventative and restorative dental services and oral health education. Rick explained that the services are provided in Bucks and Montgomery County to individuals with household income at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Rick also explained that this included a partnership with the local County Veterans Affairs Offices, to now offer free dental care to qualifying area veterans. 
 
The Goals of HealthLink Dental Clinic are:
  • To improve and maintain the oral health of our patients.
  • To provide oral health education.

  • To link patients with other community resources, like medical and behavioral health services, housing and food assistance, and career guidance to enhance their lives.

Rick explained that HealthLink recently relocated to Hatboro from Southampton.  They recently moved to 444 N York Rd, Hatboro as the clinic’s leadership felt this location better meets the needs of patients and the organization.  The new clinic on York Road is in the heart of Hatboro and close to the train station as well as a Septa bus stop.  HealthLink has 13 volunteer dentists and 1 part time dentist. They also collaborate with local colleges that have dental students, allowing students practical experience while providing a service to the community. Healthlink has been in existence for 21 years providing 32,000 free dental treatments. Last year, it provided free dental care to 1820 patients at a value of $788,000. Healthlink relies on financial support from the community. The clinic is now accepting donations to cover the relocation costs and renovations and equipment. Free Dental Care | HealthLink Dental Clinic | United States

Alex Myers and Nancy Guenst

This morning two of our newest members gave their classification speeches. These are talks that enlighten the rest of us 
about the accomplishments , adventures and history of our members. These are two very talented and intelligent people that we are proud to have as Rotarians. Both of these women have served in the military, volunteer in the community, are multilingual, and know the value of hard work. For Club members, the bios will be posted  in the secure section of this website.
Kathleen Hagerty from Merakey Foster Care Program was our visitor this Wednesday.
 
Kathleen is a Family Engagement Specialist with over 15 years of experience in several different roles. Merakey is a not-for-profit developmental, behavioral health, and education provider.  They offer a variety of services to individuals and communities across the country.  They offer these services to 50,000 + people each year at nearly 700 locations, all focused on one goal.  Their programs support individuals with all kinds of needs, from people with addiction or intellectual and physical disabilities to homeless veterans and children in need of homes.  We help people who need someone to support and fight for them.  It’s just the right thing to do.  Their hope is that we’re helping to create communities where everyone can reach their fullest potential.
 
Kathleen spoke to Hatboro Rotary members about the current state of the foster care system which, in PA, cares for 13,000 - 15,000 children at any point in time. Merakey provides 24/7 to children and their foster care placements and completed 27 referrals in September alone. They also offer training to foster caretakers which includes over 20 hours of training including 1st Aid and CPR. Most foster placement systems are experiencing a lack of individuals who can take placements, most of which consist of children who are older or who come as part of a sibling group that does not want to be separated during their time in care.
 
For more information please reach out to Kathleen and Merakey at 833-629-2220 or email at: fosterparents@merakey.com
 
Thank you, Kathleen!
  • Oct 26 Bowling Event: Thunderbird Lanes Warminster 6-8 refreshments will be served
  • Warrington Corn Hole tournament Oct 15 12-4 Valley Square (10 members of Warrington Rotary supported Our Lobster Pot..Let's get a team!)
  • Coast to coast Running Relay will be going through Hatboro on Oct 15..come cheer them on.
  • If anyone is interested in making a scarecrow for the Scarecrow contest, all applications must be in by Oct 12. to Hatboro Chamber.
  • Business and community Lunch at Trattoria Valona Oct 17. Bring Non perishable food item.
  • Skeleton Scurry Oct 29. 8-12To volunteer, contact the Hatboro Chamber
 
Very interesting talk about the Pa Gaming Control Board.  (PGCB). https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/?pr=1000 There is a great deal of information on this website, please click on the many links.
The goal of the PGCB is to be the premier gaming regulator in the United States, maintaining and enhancing public trust with honesty, integrity and credibility. Guided by the Gaming Act and supported by a dedicated professional staff of 320 the PGCB will protect the interest of the public by ensuring the integrity of legalized gaming through the strict enforcement of the law and regulations, the licensing of qualified individuals and entities, and fulfilling the objectives of legalized gaming in the Commonwealth to deliver a significant source of revenue, assist the horse racing industry, provide broad economic opportunities and enhance tourism. (taken from the PGCB website)
  • What they regulate: Sports and Fantasy Wagering; Truck Stop VGTs (Video Gaming Terminals); Casinos and also Background Checks on Casino Employees among other things such as online casinos.
  • What they do not regulate: Lottery Games; Horse Racing; Small Games of Chance
  • Help for problem gamblers: provide information and assistance for problem gamblers seeking help.
  • Gambling can be an uncontrollable addiction for many. The PGCB Self Exclusion Program allows a person to request to be excluded from legalized gaming activities within a casino and offsite venues, online, at VGT establishments or on fantasy contests.  Individuals who enroll in self-exclusion are prohibited from collecting any winnings, recovering any losses or accepting complimentary gifts or services or any other thing of value from a licensee or operator. A person can enroll in Self Exclusion online at https://responsibleplay.pa.gov/self-exclusion/. If a person is enrolled in self exclusion and gambles, they could be arrested, and the Casino could be fined (especially if they send that person any information regarding casino activities).
  • Casino Revenue: 2 billion Tax Revenue Annually (1Billion of that goes toward property tax reduction). for more information regarding "Where" the revenue goes, please see https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/?p=320

 

Interact Clubs are high school level clubs that are sponsored and mentored by local Rotary Clubs. They are chartered by rotary International just as Rotary clubs are. They are community service clubs which organize at least two projects every year, one that helps their school or community and one that promotes international understanding.  Kathy Salemno from our club works closely with INTERACT as our clubs liaison with the school. We love working with this group of young people. We were fortunate to Have Ella, the president of HHHS Interact Club with us today. Interact currently has 120 members and volunteers with us for various service projects. We wanted to Thank Ella and her members for ALL the help they provided at Lobster Pot. We could not have done it without you! someone said 5 people were working with us, but it felt like 50! They were all hard workers and definitely contributed to the success of Lobster Pot. THANK YOU INTERACT! A recent photo from the clubs meeting (used with permission to post)

SPEAKER: Meghann Townsend...Future Ready Hatters
At Hatboro Horsham High School, the goal is for students to graduate and be prepared to be successful in whatever career path they choose and to be productive citizens equipped for the 21st century. To that end, the guidance department with the Furure Ready Program hopes to increase programming to identify students' skills, interests and aptitudes and assist them in discovering how those qualities can be applied to career opportunities after graduation.  "If you can see it, you can be it" is the program motto! The success of this program will depend not only on school resources but also the community. They are looking for individuals and companies to partner with the school in several different ways:
  • Be a Presenter: Speak with the students about your career or company
  • Host a field Trip: Welcome Students and staff to your business site and observe the various roles of those working there
  • Join the Steering Committee: Provide business and community insights to help shape this program
  • Share Opportunities: Through community service, part-time and summer jobs, students have a opportunity to learn important skills to help prepare them for future careers.
  • Host a Job Shadow: host a student, in person, for a day to observe the roles and tasks of professionals in your industry.
  • Become a Mentor: host a student at your company site exposing them to different careers in your industry. Allow them to get involved, assisting with day-to-day activities, attending meetings and frank discussions about skills and training
For More Information about this program, contact Meghann Townsend, Future Ready Counselor at 215-420-5523 or mtownsend@hhsd.org. At this time, it is not a commitment to help rather a willingness to be called and asked to participate in an applicable event or if a student request comes up. Follow the link to sign up: 
  • Next Evening Get together Sept 28th at Brick and Barrel in Maple Glen
  • Lobster Pot was huge success! We can continue to support this community. Thank you to everyone who participated and especially to those who purchased tickets!
  • Congrats to those with Rotary Anniversaries: Gloria Inlander 31 years, Tom Finerghty 39 years
Birthdays:
Pete Salemno  Sep 24
Sally Palmer Sep 21
Barb Schupeltz Oct 1
 
Anniversaries:
Marty and Sally Palmer Sep 21
Tony and Julia Mapes Sep 25
Nancy and Stephen Guenst Sep 18
AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY
Founded in 1919, The American Legion Auxiliary has nearly 1 million members from all walks of life. The Auxiliary administers hundreds of volunteer programs, gives tens of thousands of hours to its communities and to veterans, and raises millions of dollars to support its own programs, as well as other worthwhile charities It is all accomplished with volunteers,100 of them are from Post 798 located at County Line and Davisville Roads on the Warminster Township side of the road but in the Hatboro Post Office. Our members in the Auxiliary are from all over both Bucks and Montgomery County areas.
While originally organized to assist The American Legion, the Auxiliary has achieved its own unique identity while working side-by-side with the veterans who belong to the Legion. Like the Legion, the Auxiliary’s interests have broadened to encompass the entire community.  The Legion has expanded and in addition to the Legion and Auxiliary there is the Riders and Son’s now.  All 4 are at this Legion Post
The Auxiliary is made up of the male and female spouses, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and direct and adopted female descendants of members of The American Legion. Through its nearly 10,500 units located in every state and some foreign countries, the Auxiliary embodies the spirit of America that has prevailed through war and peace. Along with The American Legion, it solidly stands behind America and its ideals.
Diane joined the Auxiliary 20 years ago when she met her husband who is a life member, joining after his service to our country in foreign conflict.
She is finishing up her term as President after serving for the last 7 years. She will be sworn in this weekend as Treasurer.  She also volunteers some time to the American Legion Post in Brigantine NJ when time permits.
The auxiliary meets once a month from September through June.  Some things the Auxiliary does:
  1. Gold Star Garden:  Partnered with the Borough to assist with this project and fundraising.  
  2. Majestic Oaks:  Majestic Oaks Nursing Home is home to 20 veterans and one of our auxiliary members. Sends food, cards and goodies every few months to the veterans. There is still WW2 veteran at Majestic Oaks.  
  3. State Veteran Programs:  Support many state run programs sending donations to assist with veterans needs statewide. 
  4. Girls State : Female high school students who have completed their junior year are competitively selected and sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary units for this program, where they learn about the political process by electing officials for all levels of state government and actively running a mock government.  The last young lady actually was chosen to advance to Girls National
Candidates should be keenly interested in government and current events and show strong leadership abilities. Because the structure of state and local government varies, ALA Girls State programs may vary in content and method of procedure, but each adheres to the same basic core values.
  1. Veterans Food Drive:  Yearly the Sons of the American Legion host their annual two day food drive, it is the end of September , Saturday and Sunday 9/24 & 25 from 8 to 4 rain or shine.  All donated items will be delivered to the Willow Grove 111th Fighter Wing FRG.  The mission pf the FRG is to assist veterans and the families of active duty staff.  Accepted items include non-perishable canned and boxed foods, water, paper goods, personal care items, baby needs, bottled items, cash, checks or gift cards. 
  2. Veterans Day Lunch: Our ladies have lunch at Majestic Oaks where they help serve lunch and honor the veterans.  Each Veteran receives a care package that includes money and service-related gifts centered around their branch of service. (Such as lap blankets and shirts)
  3. Veterans Picnic at Post:  Each year Majestic Oaks or DV Veterans Home residents are escorted by our riders to our post for an afternoon of food, drink and camaraderie.   
  4. Majestic Oaks Christmas:  Purchase gifts for residents.
  5. Adopt a Family at the Holidays:  Each year we adopt an active military family who may have a loved one on deployment or a veteran in need of help and we provide them gift cards for food and gifts for children in the house.  We also partner with our post to have a Christmas party for the children and grandchildren of our members.
If you are interested in joining dues are $25 per year.  You must meet criteria to join.  If you are interested in making a donation for food drive or Christmas Program for Vets, come to American Legion Post 798 County Line and Davisvill Rds Saturday Sept 24 and Sunday Sept 25th 8AM to 4PM (Rain or Shine). For more information, visit the auxiliary website Auxiliary (americanlegion798.org)
 
Club Executives & Directors
President
President Elect
Immediate Past President
Treasurer
Secretary
Rotary Foundation
Membership
Youth Services
Community Service
Club Service
International Service
Interact
Sergeant-at-Arms