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.