Donating Gift Certificates to Provide Holiday Meals for Needy Veterans

Over the past three weeks the Club has solicited monies to provide meals for needy veterans at Colonial Farms Gourmet Food Market in Washington Crossing, McCaffrey's Food Market in Lower Makefield/Yardley and ShopRite in Lower Makefield.  The incredibly generous shoppers at those three super markets donated an amazing $2,800

In each instance, the monies collected at each location were used to purchase gift certifiates from that store. These gift certificates have now been distributed to a variety of organizations which actiuvely work with and/or support veterans' causes and who have first-hand knowledge of veterans who are truly in need.

VFW Post 6393 – Yardley

(l to r)  VFW Post Commander Russ Davidson and Dick Newbert

Bucks County Veterans Center – Doylestown

(l to r)  Director of Veterans Affairs Dan Fraley and Dick Newbert

American Legion Post 317 – Yardley

(l to r)  Alan Agree and Post Commander Ted Smith

Jesse Soby American Legion Post 148 – Falls

(l to r)  Fran Drummond, Post Commander Bob Osterhout and Dick Newbert

Disabled American Veterans

(l to r)  Vice Commander and Life Member Fran Drummond and Dick Newbert

Folds of Honor  – Doylestown

(l to r)  Board Member Beth Simmons and Dick Newbert

Guardians of the National Veterans Cemetery in Washington Crossing

(l to r)  Alan Agree, Irv Perlstein, President of the Guardians Bob Craven and Syd Baron

Bucks Vet Center – Bristol

(l to r)  Vet Center Team Leader Jeff Hoerger and Dick Newbert

Let's Go Places/Team Toyota – Langhorne

(l to r)  "Let's Go Places" Host Tom Mellon and Dick Newbert

These gift certificates are helping more than forty local area veterans and their families this holiday season!

Donations to Local Veterans’ Groups

The Club made presentations to three local veterans' groups from the proceeds of our recent charity golf outing.

VFW Post 317

(l to r)  Syd Baron, Golf Chair Irv Perlstein and Ted Smith, Commander of American Legion Post 317 in Yardley

Guardians of the National Cemetery in Washington Crossing

(l to r) Alan Agree, Golf Chair Irv Perlstein, Bob Craven, President of the Guardians and Syd Baron

Jesse Soby American Legion Post 148

(l to r)  Fran Drummond, Post Commander Bob Osterhout and Golf Chair Irv Perlstein

The Club is proud to be able to continue its ongoing partnership with and support of these organizations and thank each of them for their annual support of our charity golf outings.

 

Toll Gate Grammar School’s Amazing Students

The Club received another donation of books and school supplies from the Toll Gate Grammar School in Pennington, NJ. 

In addition, several 4th grade students from the school purchased toys for the children at the William Dick School; demonstrating an understanding of the true spirit of the season.

 

The amazing fourth graders who purchased toys for childrens of teh WIlliam DIck School with Irv Perlstein (l) and Alan Agree (r)

Both the school's donations and the toys donated by the students were deliverd to Amy WIlliams, principal of the William Dick School.

 

2018 District Grant

Director of Grants for Rotary District 7450, Martha Bowman, together with Assistant District Governor Chris Potter joined us during our weekly breakfast meeting this morning. Martha presented Grant Chair Alan Agree with a check for $2,500 representing the Club's request … with the funds earmarked for its support of the William Dick School.

(l to r)  Martha Bowman and Alan Agree

Martha explained how the grant program works and that of the 45 clubs in our district only 16 applied and just 15 were awarded grants from a distribution pool of roughly $30,000 … and that the annual contributions by Rotarians to the Rotary Foundation provide some of teh financial support for the grant program.  Looking forward to 2019, Martha indicated that Grant requests for this coming year must be submitted between January 15th and May 15th

 

 

 

Donation to VFW Post 6393 in Yardley, PA

The Club presented the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6393 of Yardley, PA, which has been an annual supporter of this event, with a check for $400 from the proceeds of its recent 2018 chairty golf outing.

(l to r)  Golf co-chair Irv Perlsetin, VFW Post 6393 Commander Russ Davidson and golf co-chair Dick Newbert

Russ spoke of "not taking yourself too seriously" but always "taking your mission seriously" … which aptly describes the outlook of the members of both the VFW and our Rotary Club.  He also refelcted on the late President George H.W. Bush's speech about a "thousand points of light" when referring to the volunteers across our great country.  Russ, however, believes that there are actaully millions of points of light in America with our organizations' members among them.. 

 

 

Raising Money for Holiday Meals for Needy Veterans

With heartfelt thanks to Nick Angelakis, owner of the Colonial Farms Gourmet Food Market in Washington Crossing,

the Club was able to solicit funds for holiday meals for need veterans. 

Despite some very overcast and chilly weather, Irv Perlstein, Syd Baron, Alan Agree and Dick Newbert were able to raise $800 in just six hours.

(l to r)  Irv Perlstein and Syd Baron

Alan Agree

Dick Newbert

The monies were then used to purchase gift certificates from Colonial Farms which will be distributed to several area veterans' organizations which will, in turn, donate them directly to veterans whom they know to have fallen on difficult financial times and for whom these gift certificates might make the upcoming Christmas/Hanukkah holidays a bit brighter.

A special thanks also needs to be extended to the incredibly generous customers of Colonial Farms, including one individual who left a $100 bill in the collection jar.

Presentation to the Drew’s Hope Foundation – Our Golf Outing’s Primary Beneficiary

The final event of this evenings activities was to recognize the primary beneficiary of our 2018 charity golf outing, the Drew's Hope Foundation and its founders Katie and Tony Ferrandino.

Drew’s Hope Research Foundation  a 501(c)(3) corporation, was established in honor of Drew Ferrandino by his parents, Katie and Tony, to support research into treatments and cures for Batten Disease, a rare degenerative neurological disease for which there is no cure and is always fatal and for which there is virtually no public funding; with most victims succumbing by the age to 12  … Drew’s age when he passed away.

The Club was honored to be able to present a check for $12,000 to the Drew's Hope Foundation …

((l to r)  Golf co-chairs Irv Perlstein and Dick Newbert and Katie & Tony Ferrandino

and hope that it can play a small part in helping to discover a cure for this horrible disease.

Kyle Sullivan – Our November Student-of-the-Month

The second part of tonight's dinner meeting was dedicated to recognizing Kyle Sullivan, an 8th grader at Maple Point Middle School, as our Student-of-the-Month for November.

However, before having a chance to be introduced and tell us about himself, Kyle was called on to pull tonight's winning 50-50 ticket.

When the number was read, Fred Edelman first acknowledged he held the winning ticket and then donated the value of the gift certificate he recieved to the Club's fund that is being accrued to support A Woman's Place in Doylestown … which provides comprehensive free, private and confidential services, support, education, shelter, and advocacy for the victims of domestic violence and their children.

Fred Edelman

Student-of-the-Month and Year chair Augie Adrid next introduced Kyle Sullivan

This amazing young man then told us a bit about himself; a junior black belt, member of the Senior Demo team and testing to ultimately become an instructor in Karate; playing the clarinet in the school band, signing in the choir, participating in musicals, and will be trying out for a part in the upcoming performance of "Aladdin"; presently serving as president of the school's student council which coordinates school dances and organizes a food drive which donates food to thirty needy Neshaminy families; recently won first place in the Patriot's Penn essay contest; worked at the polls on election day for the third straight year; and believes, "There is no substitution for hard work."

His mom, Lisa, then related a moving story about Kyle and his concern for the feelings of others at the expense of receiving personal accolades a trait that spoke volumes about his character.

Then came award time where Kyle received a Certificate of Recognition

(l to r)  Club president Jeff Revak, sister Katelyn, mom Lisa, Kyle, dad Marty, sister Lara and Augie Adrid

and scholarship check

The Club extends its congratulations and wishes Kyle great success in the future!