Thanks to Styer Orchard and Market for Helping the Club’s Fundraising for Holiday Meals for Needy Veterans

The Club wants to offer its deepest thanks to Styer Orcahrd and Market

for allowing us to have a collecction jar near their check-out counter to assist us in our continue efforts to provide holiday meals for needy veterans and their families … particularly in this season when so many people are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza.

We are also apprecaitive to Styer's incredibly generous customers who, in one week, donated $238.86 for out veterans!

From November 25 1910 to the present the Styer Family Orchard has been passed from generation to generation dedicated to the cultivation and harvesting of produce for sale to the public and to the preservation of the site for the education of future farming. The Styer family has conveyed this 107 acres to the Township of Middletown on January 4, 1999 to remain in perpetuity as a living testimonial to our agricultural history. 

Irv Perlstein with Sarah holding the collection jar

Irv with Styer's Owner

Ringing the Bell Once Again for the Salvation Army

Mark Nath and Irv Perlstein were again joined by volunteer trumpeteer Tony Primola (who entertains customers and passers-by with his Christmas and holiday music) outside Penny's at the Oxford Valley Mall in Langhorne on today's last day for "ringing the bell" ofr the Sallvation Armly's 2018 Kettle Drive.

(l to r)  Mark Nath and Tony Primola

Direct from the North Pole, Irv Perlstien

Thanks to all those who;ve donated over the past six week … including those perhaps dropping coins into the kettle for the first time!

Donation of Gift Certificates for Veterans’ Holiday Meals to American Legion Post 148

Thanks to the coordination of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, Irv Perlstein was able to present gift certificates to provide holiday meals for needy veterans and their families to the Langhorne's Jesse W. Soby American Legion Post 148 this morning.

The funds to purchase these gift certificates came through teh generosity of customers of ShopRIte, McCaffrey's and Clonial Farms … who enabled the Club to set up a able abd solicit for this worthwhile cause.

Marco’s Pizza, Shady Brook Farms and Rosebank Winery

The Rotary Club of Shady Brook wishes to thank Marco's Pizza or Newtown for their continued suport of the Club's ongoing fundraising efforts on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

as well as Shady Brook Farms

in helping the Club support needy veterans and fighting blood cancers

and Rosebank Winery for their donation of several bottles of in-house produced wine which will be auctioned of during our 2018 charity golf outing benefiting the

and various local veterans organizations.

Winery owner, Mrs' Fleming

The Rotary Club of Shady Brook Live on WBCB (AM 1490) Radio

This evening Club members Irv Perlstein and Dick Newbert were invited to join host Tom Mellon on his live radio show,  Let's Go Places

… which has a primary focus on Veterans and First Responders … originating from the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 and broacast on WBCB (AM 1490). Tom, who had spoken at our breakfast meeting this morning, expressed his amazement at the number of programs and initiatves in which our Club is actively involved.  Irv and Dick then provided an overview of just a few of the Club's activities, including:

  • Recent fundraising outside local supermarkets to provide more than 40 holiday meals for needy veterans and their families through the VFW Post 6494, American Legion Posts 317 and 148, Guardians of the National Cemetery, the Bucks County Vet's Center in Bristol and Forgotten Threads.
  • The financial, in-kind and volunteer support provided for ehight years to Philadelphia's William Dick Elementary School, located in one of the city's most economically disadvantaged areas;
  • Annual fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and their efforts to find cures for blood cancers;
  • Its financial and volunteer support for the Guardians of the National Cemetery in Washington Crossing;
  • Providing quarterly meals for patients staying at Astra Zeneca's Hope Lodge during periods when they are receiving cancer teratments at one of Philadlephia's hospitals and who live far enough outside the city such that they unable to return home in the evenings;
  • Its 2018 charity golf outing whose principal beneficary will be the Drew's Hope Research Foundation (established by Katie and Tony Ferrandino in honor and memory of their son Drew) which seeks research into treatments, cures and awareness for Batten Disease, an inherited and extremely rare degenerative neurologic disease that begins in childhood and for which there is no known cure and is always fatal.  The typical early signs are loss of muscle coordination and seizures that do not respond to drugs.  Children with Batten Disease become blind and bedridden as the disease progresses rapidly and typically ends in death between ages 8 and 12 (Drew’s age when he succumbed to this dreadful disease); and
  • Participating the PENNDOT's Adopt-A-Highway program by maintaining a two-mile stretch of Yardley-Langhorne Road.

(l to r) Tom Mellon, Charlie Esposito (President of the Retired Police, Fire and Prison Guards), Dick Newbert, Irv Perlstein and Joseph Szafran (Chairman of the Bucks County Tour of Honor)

Joe Szafran made a subsequent presentation on the Tour's unique and moving way of honoring the nation's veterans, transporting United States Military Veterans from the Bucks County area to Washington DC to visit many military and other memorials, buildings and other places that promote and represent the ideals of the United States of America. 

At present its major focus is WWII veterans and terminally ill veterans, who are given top priority. The Tour is also accepting applications for Korean War veterans at this time.  On May 7th, 2018, a similar tour for Vietnam Veterans is scheduled.

The Club was able to make a presentation of gift certificates to provide holiday meals for needy veterans to Bob Craven, president of the Guardians of the National Cemetery which they will deliver to in-need vets.

(l to r) Charlie Esposito, Dick Newbert, Bob Craven, Tom Mellon and Joseph Szafran

Irv and Dick were honored to be invited to participate in the presentation of a check from Team Toyota to the Philadlephia FOP.

(l to r) Irv Perlstein, Philadelphia East Division Police Inspector Ray Convery, Steve Weller (President of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5), Dick Newbert, Tom Mellon and Charlie Esposito

Their on-air segment can be heard beginning 36 minutes and 15 seconds into the show's podcast at http://www.wbcb1490.com/tv/watch-lets-go-places-with-tommy-toyota-live-on-wbcb-tv/.

We'd also like to acknowledge and thank one of the show's sponsors, Ashley Thomas or Keller WIlliams in Langhorne who has offered her assistance in promoting participating in our 2018 charity golf outing.

Tom Mellon Speaks to Our Club

Tom Mellon, Program Director for Langhorne's Team Toyota and host of several WBCB (AM 1490) radio talks shows, most imporant being his Veterans and First Responders Awareness.

Tom, a Philadelphia native who grew up in the Northeast/Mayfair section of the city … spent 12 years in the  Catholic parochial school system followed by two years at Philadelphia Community College before attending and graduating from Temple University.  Married to his wife Geri, he has four wonderful children and three grandchildren.

Before beginning a seconcd successful vocation at Team Toyota, Tom Mellon retired from a first career as a Philadelphia police officer.

Tom also serves on the Boards of the Philadlephia Youth Alliance as well as the Bucks County Tour of Honor 

…whose mission and sole purpose is to transport United States Military Veterans from the Bucks County area to Washington DC to visit memorials, buildings and other places that promote and represent the ideals of the United States of America; with a major focus on World War II veterans and terminally ill veterans.

He also spoke passionately about other programs with which he is involved, especially those that reach out to some of Philadelphia's most vulnerable youth … causes that resonated with our members due to our Club's eight-year involvement with and ongoing commitment to the city's William Dick School.

Tom has been the recipient of several of the holiday meal gift certificates to feed needy veterans and their families that the Club purchased from fundraising outside area supemarkets … as his veterans' network has been able to identify  in-need vets and personally distribute the gift certificates to them.

Other WBCB shows Tom hosts include Dining Around, Let's Go Places and Your Health.

He also received kudos from Club members who have personally purchased of leased Toyotas through Tom!

Visiting with Phil Huber

Several Club members brought coffee, fresh fruit, bagels and pastries for a visit with Phil Huber at Manor Nursing Home in Yardley this morning.  While Phil … who for many years was a stalwart of our Club and was predictably involved in nearly ever one of its activities … has unfortunately lost the use of his legs, his hand shake remains firm and strong, his mind sharp as a tack and his smile as infectious and contagious as ever!

(clockwise)  Alan Agree, Augie Adrid, Fred Edelman, Jeff Revak, Lou Hatfield, Irv Perlstein and the guest of honor, Phil Huber – photographer Dick Newbert not shown

Phil's presence at our weekly meetings is greatly missed and he and his wife Kathy remain in the thoughts and prayers of each of the Club's members.

Our very best wishes to Phil and Kathy for a Merry Christmas and a safe and healthier New Year!

Wreaths Across America 2017 at the National Cemetery in Washington Crossing

Dick Newbert joined some two dozen members of the Guardians of the National Cemetery and other volunteers unloading hundreds of boxes of wreaths

from trailers and then distributing them throughout the cemetery where a wreath will be laid on every grave this coming Saturday, December 16th as part of the national Wreaths Across America

tribute to our veterans who are now interred in national cemeteries across the United States.

Afterward, Club members recognized former Shady Brook Rotarians, family members, and a former shipmate of one of our members.

Augie and Billie Adrid honoring her father – Joseph H. Dougherty

Wendy Perlstein places a wreath on her father's grave – Harry R. Laughlin

Irv Perlstein lays a wreath on former Club member Burt Forman's grave

Alan Agree remembering Shady Brook resident Willie Mitchell's husband – William J. Mitchell

Jerry Redington places a wreath at the Columbine vault of Shady Brook resident Andrea Pallamollo's husband – Anthony (Tony) Pallamollo

Dick Newbert paces a wreath on Club member Bruce Klugman's former shipmate, BMC Ned Pearce's grave

Friend and supporter of the Club Joe Rossi places a wreath on his father's grave – George H. Rossi