Continuing to Donate Gift Certificates for Holiday Meals for Needy Veterans

Irv Perlstein had teh privlege of attending Buck's County Vet Center's holiday luncheon.  The center is a local office of the Veterans Administration

providing counseling services to vetrans and teh families of veterans.

While there he presneted Vet Center Director Jeff Hoerger with additional holiday meal gift certificates for veterans who have fallen on hard times.

(l to r) Jeff Hoerger, Irv Perlstein and Thom Shortt

Joining Jeff and Irv was Thom Shortt, Chairman and Founder of Meghan's Foundation.

The primary objective of Meghan’s Foundation is raising awareness and support for veterans and active-duty military who may be experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We do this by developing free, trauma-sensitive programs of yoga and meditation for military, veterans, and their spouses or partners.

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After leaving the Vet Center, Irv met with fellow Rotary Club Member Heather Porter who is also the founder of Forgotten Threads

whose mission is to address, educate, coordinate, and provide aid and relief to eradicate joblessness, ignorance of policies, practices and procedures and entitlements pertaining to qualified United States Armed Forces Veterans, American Citizens and families of the same on a local and global level.

Irv also presented Heather with gift certificates for holiday meals for struggling veterans in her network.

Heather Porter and Irv Perlstein

District Grant – Donation of Gift Certificates for Needy Veterans – Russ Davidson – and More

This morning, District 7450 Grant Chair Martha Bowman presented the Club with a $2,000 matching-grant for the William Dick School, which the Club actively supports monetary donations, in-kind contribtions and volunteer time.

(L to r) Alan Agree (William Dick School Program Chair), Martha Bowman (District 7450 Grant Chair) and Ira Sherman (Club President)

Martha Bowman prvided an explanation about and a plug for the Rotary Foundation (Bruce Klugman announced that our Club is now at almost 100% participation for this year) whose funds are the source of the grant monies awarded to District clubs …

followed by Assistant District Governor Chris Potter who covered background information on the way the Rotary Foundation's monies are invested before being recycled to club projects.

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The Club then [again] presented Commander of  VFW Post 6393 Russ Davidson with gift certificates for holiday meals for needy veterans.

(l to r) Dick Newbert, Irv Perlstein, Alan Agree, Jeff Revak, Russ Davidson and Ira Sherman

Russ Davidson spoke about the VFW's sincere appreciation for the gift certificates and shared how previous donations have made an enormous impact on the ultimate recipients of previous donations.

He went on to express his organization's commitment to Service, Youth Involvement, Advocating for the needs of Veterans and spreading Awareness of the VFW, its mission and accomplishments in the community.

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Alan Agree then described yesterday's Fox29 TV's live coverage of the William Dick School's morning assembly that featured the four students who "rap" the school's motto

over the school's PA system each morning … and which a number of us got to hear during our most recent visit to the school.

He then unveiled a new poster which will be donated to the school in the near future.

   

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Jeff Revek spoke about the Club's recent memebrship mailing which was sent to many of our neighbors.

and emphasized the need to spread the word about our Club and encourage their friends to join us for an upcoming meeting and give us a try.

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Finally, Irv Perlstein

shared the status of our early and significant progress already made toward next year's charity golf outing as well as his ongoing fundraising effotts on behalf of Veterans' causes and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

 

Record Day of Fundraising to Provide Holiday Dinners for Needy Veterans

What else can we say except, Thanks  to so many compassionate and generous customers of

in Yardley whose donations to help the Club raise monies to provide McCaffrey's gift certificates for holiday meals for needy veterans totaled a record $1,285.78!

Again, the interactions with so many area residents who took the time to stop by to donate, frequently chat with us and even inquire about our Rotary Club continues to be an added and invaluable benefit … members from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, both Iraq and Afghanastan and/or stateside … as well as neighbors, inclduing Mary O'Brien, wife of former Club member RIch O'Brien who is still recovering from a serious stroke … and new friends we'd never met before.

One of the most interesting people we met was Dan Kohlbek, founder of NAGA (Never Again Grieve Alone), a non-profit dedicated to visiting lonesome veterans in hospice care, who have either outlived their family and friends or have become estranged from them … to minimize their all-too-often solitary passings … and to honor those who have served and to hear and tell their stories.  The Club hopes to have Dan speak to our membership early in 2018.

Today's team of volunteers included:

President-elect Jeff Revak

Alan Agree and Syd Baron

Dick Newbert and event-organizer Irv Perlstein

Irv Perlstein subsequently presented McCaffrey's Lisa Gormley with a for the purcahse of twenty-one gift certifcates.

These gift certifictes will be donated to the Guardians of the National Cemetery in Washington Crossing, VFW Post 6393 and American Legion Post 317 in Yardley, the Vet Center in Bristol and other organizaztions who are aware of and have personal contact with needy veterans in Bucks County.

Defying the Snow to Ring the Bell for the Salvation Army

As with the men and women who deliver our mail, "Neither Rain nor snow…" never let it be said that weather deters our Club from following through on the commitments made to the many causes it supports!

Today, despite the cold and snow, which is continuing to fall,

intrepid club members Alan Agree and Fred Edelman

(l to r) Alan Agree and Fred Edelman

manned the Salvation Army's Kettle Drive outside Macy's at the Oxford Valley Maill today.

THANKS to both of them!

On a special note … each year,Mark Nath, the club's liaison with the Salvation Army, pays tribute to one of the Club's founders and a longtime member, Ken Magnani

who initiatied our participation in ringing the bell of the Salvation Arrny's annual Kettle Drive as a way of helping neighbors in need while not costing the Club any money.

 

Paul Quintavalla’s Presentation on Rotaplast

Paul Quintavalla, District 7450's Governor-elect,

gave an moving presentation to the Club this morning on Rotaplast,

about which most of the members had litte knowledge.

Although Rotaplast began as a project of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, it became a separate non-profit corporation in 1996.

Rotaplast International, Inc. is committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities.  Working with local professionals, Rotarians, and other organizations, Rotaplast sends multidisciplinary medical teams to provide free reconstructive surgery, ancillary treatment, and training for the comprehensive care of these children.  Rotaplast supports education and research towards prevention of cleft lip and/or palate. Its aim is to help local professionals build sustainable models for the care of these children, improving their lives and those of their families.

Rotaplast employs the following strategies to reach this goal:

Facilitate medical missions to provide surgical intervention for children who are not able to receive treatment or who are in need of more complicated medical procedures than can be provided by local physicians.

Counsel families about ways of reducing the incidence cleft palate anomalies through diet, vitamin supplementation, and lifestyle changes.

Collaborate with local health professionals on follow-up care and on development of comprehensive cleft palate programs where feasible.

Learn about the incidence and causes of cleft lip and palate anomalies, including both genetic and environmental factors.

Educate local physicians and specialists by urging them to work with our teams to broaden their skills in treating cleft anomalies.

Foster international goodwill and fellowship by working with Rotarians as well as with health officials in host countries.

To date, Rotoplast has treated 19,136 patients in 26 countries!

Although Paul has traveled on many missions including such places as the Philippines and Venezuela, his mission to Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

Uppatasanti Pagoda

was featured in his slide presentation.  Some of his slides graphically show the difference Rotaplast's volunteer doctors, nurses, Rotarians and other mission participants have had on the populations of some of the world's poorest countries where such medical procedures are often otherwise unavailable … and where children with physical deformaties are often and tragically shunned, abandoned or worse!

A mother with her son who was born with a cleft lip (the white material on the child's face is actually a form of make-up in Myranmar)

A young boy – pre and post operative

An adult before and after surgery

Each child receives a "beannie baby" and quilt before surgery which they often take with them into the operating theater to reduce their anxieties

Paul's presentation had a special significance to two of the Club's members.

Retired Dr. Augie Adrid

had traveled to the Philippines on many occasions to assist with cleft lip and/or palate and other reconstructive surgeries, often working 10-16 hour days.

Unknown to other members of the Club, Fred Edelman

shared his expereince as having been born with a cleft palate that was surgically corrected and how the results of that treatment both enhnaced his physical appearance and had an incredibly positive impact on his pyschological and emotional health as well as in developing his life-long commitment to help people in need where ever they live.

At the end of today's meeting, one member was so moved that he presented Paul with a check for Rotaplast and another has since sent him a donation check to support its incrediblly worthlwhile endevour. 

Anyone interested in learning more about Rotaplast or making a donation can log onto http://rotaplast.org/.

 

Another Saturday Supporting the Salvation Army’s Kettle Drive

For the fourth consecutive weekend Club Rotarians donated their time to help the Salvation Army with its 2018 Kettle Drive outside Macy's and the Oxford Valley Mall.  Taking the first shift, Arthur Finkle and Mark Nath were joined by volunteer trupmpeteer Topny Primola.

(l to r) Arthur, Tony and Mark

Around noon, there were relieved by Irv and Wendy Perlstein.

These volunteers wish to thank the many shoppers who have been so generous during the past month to help the Salvation Army help people in need.