Despite the chilly temperatures, Wendy and Irv Perlstein,
joined members of the Guardians o and other volunteers to pick-uup the 4,000-plus wreaths which had been placed on each of the graves at the National Cemetery in Washington Crossing as part of teh annual Wreaths Across America tribute to our nation's veterans.
The Rotary Club of Shady Brook was recognized this evening as the area organization collecting the most money during the Salvation Army's annual Red Kettle Drive at a ceremony at the Middletown Country Club … raising over $3,000 outside J.C. Penny’s and Macy's at the Oxford Valley Mall during the six Saturdays leading up to Christmas.
The money dropped in a kettles goes right back into our local community. Every day of the year The Salvation Army provides basic needs, housing, youth services, rehabilitation, and counseling and spiritual care to people in the communities we serve. The Salvation Army is also often the first to arrive and the last to leave during times of disaster or crisis.
Salvation Army Major Jud Laidlaw (r) prespresents Club President Ira Sherman with a certificate of accomplisment
and annual "Bell Ringer Award"
(l to r) President-elect Jeff Revak and Salvation Army Chair, Mark Nath
First Place Certificated
Over two-thirds of the our Rotarians and many of their family members participated in this year's Bell RInging effort.
Many thanks to both Club president, Ira Sherman, and Newtown's favorite ice cream parlor
for allowing us to place a fund raising container in thier restaurant to help us raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in its quest to find cures for blood cancers … which claimed an estimated 58,300 people in the US in 2017!
Established in 1918, four generations of Goodnoes have manufactured dairy products in a plant on the family farm in Newtown. In 1955, Raymond Goodnoe opened his dairy bar with a committment to make farm fresh, wholesome and delicious ice cream. The Goodnoe Family Restaurant and Dairy Bar, operated for 33 years by Raymond W. "Skip" Goodnoe, was a Newtown landmark.
Today, the tradition continues. Using family recipes and the finest ingredients, Goodnoe Farm produces premium quality and exceptionally enjoyable ice cream.
At this evening’s monthly dinner meeting at the Golden China Restaurant, The Rotary Club of Shady Brook was delighted to recognize two Maple Point Middle School students as its Students-of-the Month for December 2017
Matteo Sinagoga and his parents, Beth and Anthony with Augie Adrid
and January 2018.
Colette Schardt with her parents William Edison and, Magdalena Schardt with Augie Adrid
With their proud parents watching, both students were presented with a Certificate of Recognition and a $100 scholarship award by program chair Dr. Augie Adrid and club president Ira Sherman. Both Matteo and Colette then thanked the club and shared some comments about their current school and community activities as well as their ambitions for the future.
Joining the students and their parents was their guidance counselor, Rosemary Orsely
who shared with the Club how the School selects deserving students for our scholarships. She stressed the importance of nominating students who not only are strong academic performers, but also students who have successfully faced obstacles in their personal lives and who routinely serve others/volunteer. She thanked our club profusely for the positive impact it has and continues to have on their school and students for over a decde.
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We were also thrilled to welcome two new members.
Steve Manas
Art Issadore
With 99+ years of marriage between them, our newest members know something about relationships, comnpromise and commitment!
W E L C O M E
Club members again visited Hope Lodge to provide dinner for patients who are staying there with undergoing cancer treatments at various Philadelphia hospitals.
(l to r – Syd and Rochelle Baron, Alan Agree and Fran Silverman)
(l to r – Robin Sherman and Marsha Fineberg)
(L to r – Jerry Redington and Rochelle and Syd Baron)
After dinner, trivia guru Ed Carne delighted the diners with his varied and intersting trivia, mostly revolving around the movies.
Unfortunately other Club members, notably Club president Ira Sherman and Irv Perlstein, were either taking pictures or simply camera shy.
The Club was honored to have Thom Shortt, Prtesident ot Meghan's Foundation and Jeff Hoerger, Director of the Bucks County Vet's Center
speak this morning which provides readjustment counseling to returning veterans and their family members toward a successful post-war adjustment.
Jeff runs one of 300 mental health counseling Vet Centers in the U.S. There are over 50,00 vets in Bucks County alone, so the needs of vets and their families are great.The center has been open since 2010 and has served over 600 vets and their families. The center provides a very wide range of services, focusing heavily on the treatment of PTSD, as well as providing totally confidential counseling and tools to vets also struggling with drug and alcohol-related issues. Responding to a member's question, Jeff noted that while they can not dispense medication, they provide direct evaluations and feedback to the VA physicians/medical professional. Jeff and his staff are experts at helping vets understand their benefits as well as finding resources to address their challenges.
Families are encouraged, as needed, in participating in the center's services, all of which are free. They work with 80-90 vets a month. A related service that some vets have found very helpful is meditation and yoga. Thom Shortt, a former Vietnam Marine Vet, is president of Meghan's Foundation and provides 6 classes a week to vets in yoga and meditation in a variety of locations. He and his wife started the foundation after losing their 29 year old daughter (who was married to a Vet in Iraq) in 2011. All classes are free to vets, who are often referred to him by Jeff.
Thom and his wife do not take any salary. All of their work related to the foundation is a "labor of love". Jeff serves on Thom's Board and noted that he has seen multiple cases where the classes alone have had a life-altering impact on his clients.
Both men received a big round of applause for their fine work and presentation. Members stayed afterwards to ask individual questions. Special thanks to President-Elect Jeff for asking them to come and speak to our group,too!
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For veterans who have been diagnosed with serious mental illness or believe they have mental illness and don't have insurance and are not eligible or don't know if they are eligible for HealthChoices, they can call the location below that is nearest their home for an intake appointment.
| Upper Bucks Area |
Penn Foundation 807 Lawn Avenue Sellersville, PA 18960 |
215-257-6551 |
| Central Bucks Area |
Lenape Valley Foundation 500 N West Street Doylestown, PA 18901 |
215-345-5300 |
| Lower Bucks Area |
Penndel Mental Health Center 1517 Durham Road Penndel, PA 19047 |
215-752-1541 |
Depending on a veteran's financial resources and/or insurance coverage there are many ways to find the type of service(s) they need. If they have a private health plan that covers these services, they should contact their health plan administrator.
Any Bucks County resident who is Medical Assistance-eligible may call the toll-free number for assistance and referral for mental health issues. Professional staff will answer your call, help you through a crisis, or provide referrals to community-based treatment centers, if there is a need.
Mental Health services offered by Bucks County are offered by contracted provider agencies. These providers usually accept HealthChoices, Medicare, and other insurance. A sliding scale is available for those with no insurance.
Where To Turn For Help With Drug and Alcohol Issues In Bucks County
This informational sheet will help you or your family member access treatment for a drug and/or alcohol problem, as well as give some other resource information. The first step in accessing treatment is for the individual to get a professional assessment to determine the extent of the problem and the type of treatment and recovery plan needed. Adult and adolescent services are available throughout Bucks County. For more information, please call our Approval of Care Department at 215-773-9643.
To access treatment for those who have private health insurance, call the number on the back of the insurance card listed under Mental Health/Substance Abuse.
To access treatment for those with Medical Assistance, call Magellan Health Services at 877-769-9784 and they will give information as to the nearest treatment agency for an assessment or go to one of the listed assessment sites below.
To access information regarding Veteran’s Benefits, call 877-222-8387 to find out eligibility for services. Individuals who are Veterans are eligible for county funding.
For individuals with no insurance, there may be county funded treatment available as well as other supportive services. The individual must go to one of the assessment sites listed below, either as a walk in or calling for an appointment. The individual will need to bring certain documents to the assessment, including proof of Bucks County residency, and other documents to complete a Medical Assistance application. Due to limited funding, County funding for residential treatment is budgeted on a monthly basis, which limits the number of individuals who can be admitted into that level of care each month. However, other treatment alternatives, such as outpatient treatment, are available. Individuals that are considered a priority population, such as pregnant injection substance users, pregnant substance users, injection substance users, overdose survivors, veterans and adolescents are exempt from any limitations. Preferential treatment is given to pregnant females.
We also presented Jeff with an additional two gift certificates to provide meals to needy veterans.
Irv Perlstein donated two gift certificates to provide meals for needy veterans to State Senator Tommy Tomlinson's office this morning.
(l to r) Irv Perlstein and an aide to Senator Tomlinson
