The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn celebrated the 107^th Anniversary of Rotary International in one of the best ways possible.  Fair Lawn Rotary Members inducted two new Rotarians and accepted the transfer of a Rotarian from another Rotary Club.  On February 23, 2012, Victoria Padovano and Jerry Slavik became Rotarians, sharing their compassion and drive to make the world community a better place through service to those around the corner and across the globe.

Vicki is the Assistant Branch Manager of the Saddle River Road (Fair Lawn) Branch of Columbia Bank. She has been with Columbia for 13 years starting as a part-time teller and eventually moving into her current position.  Vicki resides in Elmwood Park with her family. Vicki was also a member of the Saddle Brook High School Interact Club.

Jerry is an Assistant Vice President Store Manager of the River Road (Fair Lawn) location of TD Bank. Jerry makes the daily ride down to Fair Lawn from Pompton Plains where he resides.  Prior to joining TD Bank he was a branch manager with Wells Fargo/Wachovia Bank and has a professional background in mortgage lending.

The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn also accepted the transfer of membership of Geoffrey Garlick. Geoff was a Rotarian in the Allendale (NJ) Club. Geoff transferred to the Fair Lawn Club due to scheduling conflicts; this transfer with allow him to be able to make more meetings and become even more active on the Club level. Geoff is an IT Specialist as well as a student at Bergen Community College.

The 107^th Anniversary of the founding of what is now Rotary International is an even more special day to the members of The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn.  Please welcome our new members and consider discovering Rotary as your vehicle to give back to those around the corner and across the globe.

The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn was Chartered in 1948 as part of Rotary International, a global humanitarian organization comprised of 1.2 million people in over 34 thousand Clubs around the world.  The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn meets Thursdays, 12:15 PM at the Fair Lawn Athletic Club, Parmelee Ave., Fair Lawn.  For more information contact Todd N. Malkin, Public Relations at fairlawnrotarians@gmail.com or visit the Club on the web at www.clubrunner.ca/fairlawn.  Rotary International can be found on the web at www.rotary.org

The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn would like to thank the over 130 attendees at our 20^th Annual Beefsteak and Tricky Tray held on February 25^th at St. Leon’s Armenian Church in Fair Lawn.  It was an exciting night of prizes being snatched up and delicious beefsteak being passed around.  Some of top prizes were in heavy demand; A Nook Color, Kindle Fire, 2 tickets to Disney World, cordless drill & saw set, digital camera and a Blu-ray player.  There were also plenty of other prizes that were in hot demand such as digital photo frames, soap & fragrance sets, a vodka set, tool sets and some select wines for any palate.  We even had a Snuggie up for bid along with Giant’s Super bowl memorabilia, cooking items of all sorts, a great picnic basket set and some of the best homemade Cakes by Jean.  All and all it was a wonderful night of community camaraderie and a time to thank the many emergency service volunteers that serve our town.  Some local dignataries attended this event as well; State Senator Bob Gordon and Fair Lawn Deputy Mayor John Cosgrove.  Also in attendance from the local Rotary District, District 7490, were District Governor Emil Geering and incoming District Governor Bonnie Sirower.  A Touch of Grey was also back for a night of live music.

The funds raised by this event will assist in The Rotary Club of Fair in its continuing mission of providing “Service Above Self” to those in need around the corner and across the globe. Those in attendance were given a brief overview of what Rotary is and how this worldwide organization brings together people from around the globe to improve the lives of those in need.

Our success is due in part to the many local and regional companies that donate items for the tricky tray.  We ask that you support and thank these merchants for their donations.  There is a list of these community minded businesses on the home page of our website.  Please support those businesses that support Rotary’s mission.

Thanks to your support, The Rotary Foundation’s Big Cash 50/50 Fundraiser was a success.  The first ticket drawn lucked out and broke even by getting the $100 donation back.  After that, there was tension building in the air as each of the purchased tickets were whittled down and out one by one; eighty then forty then twenty hopeful entries, then fifteen and before one knew it, there were twelve tickets still in the running for the Big Cash Prize.  Then there were ten and a break was taken. 

Those in attendance that still had one of the final ten were checking their numbers, and carrying on some good luck rituals.  From ten to nine and suddenly there were only six more to go, then four and three.  With three left, all sold by the same Rotarian, they were shaken up and one more was picked from the can to be retired and out of the running for the cash, and then there were two.  The final two ticket holders decided to play it safe and not go for broke, the final two ticket holders split the Big Cash 50/50 Prize.

Our congratulations go to the winners of this year’s Grand Prize and our heartfelt thanks go to all of those that participated in The Rotary Foundation of Fair Lawn's Big Cash 50/50 Fundraiser.  Your support of Rotary allows Fair Lawn Rotarians to do good deeds for our local community and assist with Rotary International’s projects around the world.

Members of The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn  took February 23, 2012 as a day to set aside regular club business and introduce Rotary to specially invited guests.  Several guests were invited to join Fair Lawn Rotarians for lunch in order to meet the members and learn more about how Rotarians provide “Service Above Self” locally, nationally and globally. 

Club members spoke about how Rotary offers them an avenue to provide service to our neighbors around the corner and improve the lives of those across the globe.  Guests were introduced to the “Object of Rotary” and the “4 Way Test”; the guiding principles that bring all Rotarians together as we work to improve the world community.  These VIPs were also given a flavor of the many local projects that have been undertaken by Fair Lawn Rotarians since the club’s founding and how Rotarians continue to volunteer their time to help those that live in our community.

The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn was Chartered in August of 1948 to provide “Service Above Self” locally and globally.  The Fair Lawn Club is part of Rotary International a global humanitarian service organization founded in 1905 consisting of over 1.2 million individuals in 34,164 Clubs throughout the world.  We ask that you consider discovering Rotary as your vehicle to give back to those around the corner and across the globe.

The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn meets Thursdays, 12:15 PM at the Fair Lawn Athletic Club, Parmelee Ave., Fair Lawn.  For more information contact Todd N. Malkin, Public Relations at fairlawnrotarians@gmail.com or visit the Club on the web at www.clubrunner.ca/fairlawn. Rotary International can be found on the web at www.rotary.org

D id you know that Rotary founder Paul Harris wasn’t the first president of a Rotary club? 

That distinction is actually held by Harris’s friend Silvester Schiele, who served as the first president of the Rotary Club of Chicago. Harris deferred his club leadership duties until February 1907, when he was elected the third president of the Chicago club. 

In honor of Rotary’s Birthday on February 23rd, here’s a collection of facts and firsts to expand your knowledge of Rotary:  

IN 1996, A COMMITTEE of Rotary Foundation Trustees considered opening an educational center, institute, or university dedicated to Paul Harris on the 50^th anniversary of his death.  The committee ultimately recommended the creation of Paul Harris Centers for International Studies at universities worldwide, where fellows would obtain graduate degrees in international relations, conflict resolutions, and peace studies.

THE TRUSTEES APPROVED the plan for the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution in 1999, and the first Rotary Peace Fellows began pursuing master’s degrees in 2002. As of 30 June 2011, over US$35 million in fellowships had been awarded to more than 590 fellows from over 90 countries.