President Melissa gave a Rotary welcome in front of our RI banner to two of the three Chester County Commissioners, Marian Moskowitz and Josh Maxwell. They in turn gave inspiring comments on the state of our county and work of the commissioners.
Moskowitz said the skills she learned along the way as a businesswoman have been helpful in her job as commissioner. “These skills came in handy when I took office, and we were immediately faced with the challenges presented by COVID, and storm Ida. Despite those, we continued to work to move the county forward.”
What has become an annual Service Above Self project for our club is helping neighborhood volunteers with clean-up day at Marshall Square Park in West Chester. This year, the clean-up day was scheduled for Earth Day weekend. Mac Neilon again handled the details, and directed 13 Rotarians and a child to help with picking up sticks, spreading mulch, shoveling up leaves, and general clean-up between 8:30 a.m. and noon on Saturday. Thanks to all the volunteers, and to Randy Lindel and Mark Sammarone for recording the event with photos.
Charles Streitwieser and Melissa Baxter represented our West Chester Club at the recent District 7450 District Conference, which Melissa described as a “relaxed format – people came and went throughout.”
Rotarians help out wherever there is a need! For example, Locust Lane Brewery (LLB), a member of the Exton Region Chamber of Commerce, conducts a series of events called ”Pints With a Purpose,” in which they pick a non-profit member of the chamber to highlight each month. The chamber’s Community Philanthropic Council’s February pick was the Chester County History Center (CCHC). All month, not only do proceeds from LLB’s monthly Community Cups project go to the non-profit, there is a happy hour at the end of the month.
The Philadelphia Eagles may have come up short on their bid to win the Super Bowl last weekend, but West Chester Rotarians were winners. Carol Hanson and new member Lona Pangia were among the four winners of the Super Bowl fundraiser conducted by Mac Neilon. Carol won $200 for her 2nd quarter pick, Lona won $200 for her third quarter pick, Fran Curtin (on a bucket list trip to Egypt with wife Judy) won $200 for his first quarter pick, and Rob Malone's grandmother won the fourth quarter pick and the $650 prize!
President Melissa Baxter and Bob Rogers tied for first place in the Rotary Barbecue Throw Down, held recently at the Boy Scout Council building in Exton. Melissa's entree was a succulent "Beat Bob Baby Back Ribs," and Bob's entrée was "Three Little Pigs," a tasty combination of pork shoulder, pork belly and bacon. Judy Curtin, past president of the Sunrise Club was runner up with her cinnamon spiced pulled pork. Other cooks/chefs from Sunrise included Bill Leber, and Laura Schofield and husband John Pierson's "Buckle Up" pulled pork (John smoked the pork for 16 hours!).
Arriving in a holiday mood, about 75 individuals, Rotarians and their spouses, gathered for a festive holiday party at the gorgeous home of Doreen and Bill Winters. Although elegant on its own, Doreen embellished the large Victorian style home with numerous decorated trees that she started putting up in October!
Another longtime tradition of our Rotary club has been the ringing of the bells at the bright red pots of the Salvation Army each year. This is a major fundraiser for the SA, which does so much good in our communities year around.
A casual, social gathering of Rotary members on the "Tuesday Before Thanksgiving" has been a longstanding tradition of the Rotary Club of West Chester. Over two dozen club members joined in keeping the tradition alive this year.
Members of our Rotary Club are never ones to shirk helping and participating in activities in the Borough of West Chester. And the recent Christmas parade was no exception! Jeff Cantwell was able to catch this photo of Rotarian and Bar Association director, Matt Holliday, on the Chamber of Commerce float. Jeff barely managed to get this photo because he was busy being one of the parade marshals!. Mark Sammarone was busy directing the hundreds of vehicles that were streaming into the borough hunting parking places. Mac Neilon also was very busy doing a variety of tasks to keep the parade running smoothly. Perhaps there were other Rotarians helping out that evening. The borough, chamber of commerce, and others know they can always depend on hard-working, often unseen Rotary volunteers and their families.
Several club presidents and members of the four West Chester Rotary Clubs met recently at Timothy’s for an All West Chester Member Prospect and Networking Social. One group of Rotarians who were having fun together included (from left) our own West Chester President Melissa Baxter, Debi Friedmann, president of the Passport Club, Russ DiFuria, a past president and member of the WEGO (West Goshen) Club, Bob Eaves, president of the Sunrise Club, and (front) Judy Curtin, immediate past president of the Sunrise Club.
According to Chili King Bill Friedman, an estimated record crowd of about 10,000 people flooded the streets of West Chester Borough Sunday, October 9th, when the annual Chili Cook-off returned for its 20th year!. Lines of chili lovers formed prior to noon, and booths remained busy until the awards presentations at 3:30, although many booths had run out of chili by then.
Anne Driscoll and Club President Melissa Baxter were among the several Rotarians who volunteered to staff our Rotary table at the recent Restaurant Festival in the Borough of West Chester to promote our upcoming Chili Cook-off. They sold wristbands so folks don't have to stand in long lines the day of the cook-off on October 9th, handed out updated brochures, and answered questions about Rotary. Meanwhile, John Schwab was busy "planting" Chili Cook-off signs in the borough. Many Rotarians have "planted" the bright red and yellow signs outside the borough, on corners, heavily trafficked streets, in their yards, and intersections. This will be the 20th year of our cook-off, which seems to grow in popularity each year, and even attracts folks from, other states, in addition to thousands of local individuals and families. Our cook-off returns after a two year hiatus due to COVID, and is widely anticipated. If you haven't signed up to volunteer that day, it's not too late to get in on the fun! See you on Sunday, October 9th!
For the 20th year in a row, Mac Neilon (fifth from left, next to West Chester Area School District Superintendent Bob Sokolowski) arranged for the donation of school supplies to the WCASD. Club President Melissa Baxter (sixth from right) joined Mac in delivering over $1,000 in supplies for students and families in need, from funds generated by the Rotary Club's Chili Cook-off. Caseworkers for the school district, pictured above, divide up the supplies and distribute them to economically disadvantaged students In the 17 district schools.
John Schwab (left) and Mac Neilon recently put up the first of several new road signs to provide additional visibility for Rotary clubs, and encourage individuals to look up and find a club, and learn about Rotary. The URL will direct individuals to all four Rotary clubs in the greater West Chester area. New and replacement road signage is one of the new projects of our club's Communications Committee. There will be additional signage to follow at all road entrances to West Chester, so keep watching for them!
"Promoting Rotary in sunshine and fresh air" was how Sue Casso Rogers described Sunday afternoon at the annual Melton Center Community Day event.
Our new club president, Melissa Baxter, had the pleasure of meeting the new Mayor of the Borough of West Chester Lillian DeBaptiste, when the mayor was our recent guest speaker.
The Rotary Club of West Chester, the Greater West Chester Sunrise Rotary Club and the Rotary Passport Club of West Chester joined together in choosing and awarding three high school graduates $2,000 college scholarships each. The scholarship recipients were chosen based on essays they wrote about their volunteerism, based on the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self.” Letters of recommendation from school administrators added verification of the students’ volunteer work.
Steve Brown, our outgoing president, received accolades for his leadership in the second half of the 2021-2022 Rotary year, our 100th anniversary, for his outstanding leadership during the (still circulating) pandemic. In addition to keeping club members engaged, Steve gave us brief looks back at our country’s history, and provided humorous moments at every club meeting to lighten the challenging times.
Over 80 individuals, Rotarians and their guests, gathered at Barnaby’s In West Chester for the “historical, phenomenal, first ever” induction of the incoming presidents of the four West Chester Rotary clubs. Members of the four clubs enjoyed socializing over the buffet dinner and beverages, meeting and supporting fellow Rotarians from other clubs, and taking part in the unique raffle.
Longtime member Jim Gasho (he joined in 1986), “Played His Age,” completing 62 holes of golf on July 1st – yes, all in one day!
The third and final part of our 100th Anniversary celebration (1921-2021) was to place a plaque, noting the occasion, at our meeting place, the West Chester Golf and Country Club. The Country Club was willing to support our request to display a commemorative plaque at their site by planting a tree and placing the plaque in a beautiful floral setting. Participating in the dedication of the plaque at the country club were (from left) Eric Houck, WCGCC grounds superintendent, Sue Casso Rogers, one of the 100th anniversary event coordinators, Steve Brown current club president and president during the second half of 2021, and Michelle Venema, club president during the first part of 2021, and an event coordinator. The planting bed contains a small tree, and is full of colorful blooming annuals, all of which complement the plaque. This garden gem at the country club, located near the Pro Shop, is a beautiful way to acknowledge the work of our Rotary Club, and one of the many community partnerships we enjoy. Next time you attend a Thursday club meeting or play a round of golf on the course, take a few minutes to stop by the little garden and view this lovely commemoration, designed by Houck. It will brighten your day!
Golfing is not just a matter of hitting a little ball around a golf course for West Chester Rotarians. It includes lots of fun and fellowship! Even though the skies were a little cloudy, 23 golfers, Rotarians and guests, enjoyed nine holes of golf at the West Chester Golf and Country Club following a recent Thursday noon club meeting. After completing their rounds, most participants returned to the clubhouse for beverages and snacks. On the deck overlooking the golf course, they shared fellowship and laughs (sometimes at each other’s expense!). Thanks to Randy Lindel, Sue Casso-Rogers and others for capturing some great photos and reporting on this event.
Nsengumuremlyi Theoneste, known to us as Theo, and supported by our club for a number of years, proudly shows off the diploma he has finally received.
Ray and Paula Ott stopped by the Rotary Club's table at the Turk's Head Music Festival Sunday, and picked up a copy of the updated club brochure, Chili Cook-off flyer, and viewed the new A-frame. Sue Casso Rogers and Michelle Venema were the first club Rotarians to "woman" the table at the eight hour festival, a popular West Chester event that has restarted this year after the two year pandemic lockdown. A number of Rotarians manned the table throughout the day as thousands of music lovers, and families with children and dogs, crowded into Everhart Park. Mother Nature provided near perfect weather, making it a day to enjoy not only music, food, art, vendors of all sorts, but even an opportunity to register to vote! Let's hope we have many more such weather perfect days ahead!
When over two dozen Rotarians planted a mixture of 100 Maple and River Birch trees recently at Stroud Preserve, they accomplished two goals. The 100 trees celebrated last year’s 100th anniversary of the Rotary Club of West Chester, and it supported the mission of the Environment Committee of Rotary District 7450. “Despite the wet weather, Rotarians showed up to participate in the long-awaited anniversary celebration project, and support the district’s new environment committee,” explained Steve Brown, club president..png)
