On Saturday mornings, April 21^st and 28^th, members of the Rockaway Rotary Club participated in spring clean-ups around Park Lake and Borough streets.  For our efforts, we will receive monies towards our service and charitable endeavors from the Clean Communities Grant Program.

Wednesday, April 25, 2011, was "World Malaria Day" and the Rotary Club of the Rockaways celebrated with a "No More Malaria" Breakfast at the Rockaway Assembly of God Church in Rockaway Borough.  Attending Rotarians and their guests enjoyed a delicious breakfast, learned about the effects of the disease and the efforts in malaria prevention from our speaker, Sheila McLaughlin, and heard Rockaway Rotary’s commitment to curtailing its spread, especially in Africa.  Rotarians breakfast fees and guests’ monetary contributions were allocated for Rockaway Rotary’s International Project to purchase specially treated mosquito nets that are practically impervious to mosquito penetration and the best protection from contracting malaria transmitted by mosquito bites.  The Rotary Club of the Rockaways’ donation to this effort continues the long-standing and on-going commitment of our club to supply these nets on a yearly basis.

The Rockaway Rotary Club’s Easter Bunny presents Diane Knipper from the Rockaway Food Closet a $1400 check from the proceeds of the club’s recent Easter Bunny Breakfast and Food Drive.

ROCKAWAY ROTARY 5K RUN/WALK

“RUN TO FIGHT HUNGER”

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, July 7, 2012 * 10 AM  
United Methodist Church
1 Hoagland Avenue
  Rockaway, NJ 07866

FEES:  Pre-Registration by June 27, 2012 - $20.00
             On-Site Registration (begins at 9:00 AM) - $25.00
            NO EXTRA FEES FOR ONLINE REGISTRATION

AWARDS: Gift Certificates from Area Merchants

                   1st Place Overall (Male/Female)

                   Age Divisions: 12 & Under, 13-14, 15-18, 19-29, 30-39

                   40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, over 80

                   First Rockaway Male and Female Runner   

This year, proceeds from the Rockaway Rotary 5K Run/Walk will benefit two of the Rockaway Rotary Club’s charitable projects to “Fight Hunger” in our communities and to “Pave the Way” for a new playground at Lincoln School in Rockaway Borough.  Monies raised will be distributed to the Rockaway Food Closet and the Lincoln School Playground Fund.  

Throughout the year the Rockaway Food Closet provides vital food supplies to families that need extra help in order to put meals on their tables. The Closet also distributes additional food baskets at Thanksgiving and during the December holiday season.  In addition, the Rotary Club of the Rockaways has committed to assist in raising the needed funds to replace outdated playground equipment at Lincoln School in Rockaway Borough.

The Rotary Club of the Rockaways serves the communities of Rockaway Borough and Rockaway Township in Morris County, NJ.  Founded in 1944, Rockaway Rotary is comprised of business and community leaders who through their charitable and civic endeavors exemplify the Rotary motto, "Service Above Self."    

A race application can be downloaded below or you can register online at www.raceforum.com/rockaway.
                                                                                  

PLEASE BRING ITEM OF FOOD FOR THE FOOD CLOSET

Directions to United Methodist Church, 1 Hoagland Avenue, Rockaway:

From Route 80:  Take Exit 37 and turn right; proceed downhill.  At light after BP gas station, bear right onto Hoagland Ave.  The church is the last building on the right.

From Route 46 Westbound:  Take East Main Street and continue into center of Rockaway.  Turn right onto Wall Street (County Route 513); take first legal left turn onto Academy Street.  Go one block and turn right onto Hoagland Ave.  The church is the first building on the left.

From Route 46 Eastbound:  Take West Main Street (jug-handle left turn) and continue into center of Rockaway.  Turn left onto Wall Street (County Route 513); take first legal left turn onto Academy Street.  Go one block and turn right onto Hoagland Ave.  The church is the first building on the left.

Each year, the Rotary Club of the Rockaways offers three scholarships to qualified high school seniors from Rockaway Borough or Rockaway Township.  Read below for the requirements and qualifications for each scholarship and download the scholarship application forms.

                                    Frederick and Ruth James Memorial Scholarship

Alfred G. Scott Scholarship

Rockaway Rotary Vocational Scholarship

On Sunday, April 1^st, the Rockaway Rotary Club conducted a food drive for the Rockaway Food Closet at the Rockaway ShopRite.  Rockaway Rotarians collected food and monetary donations that will help with a critical need and demand for assistance for many families in the Rockaway area.   A most sincere “thank you” to all of the members who contributed their time and to all who donated food and/or money to make this “Help Fight Hunger” event a huge success. 

ROCKAWAY ROTARY EASTER BUNNY BREAKFAST

Saturday, March 31, 2012

8:30 - 11:30 AM

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE

THE BREAKFAST A SUCCESS!!

A sincere thank you to all of the people, businesses, and organizations who purchased an advertisement for the placemats to be used at the Pasta Dinner on January 14, 2012 at the United Methodist Church.  100% of these advertisement donations will be used toward the purchase of playground equipment as part of the Rockaway Rotary Club’s Lincoln School Playground Project.  The Rockaway Rotary Club is committed to make this playground improvement become a reality.  We will be conducting a variety of additional fundraising endeavors in coming months to assist in raising the necessary funds for this project which will benefit all of the children of Rockaway Borough.   

                   THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!       

At our November 9^th morning meeting, the Rockaway Rotary Club presented Rockaway Borough Fire Department Chief William Hopler with a check for $500 to assist the department in replacing equipment at Fireman’s Field that was damaged during Hurricane Irene.  The Rotary recognizes and thanks the fire department for its outstanding effort and contribution made on behalf of the citizens of our community.

On Monday, November 7th, PresidentJean McMullan inducted the newest members of the Rockaway Rotary Club,  Rick Rounsaville and Patrick Tierney.  Rick is the pastor of Rockaway Assembly ofGod Church and Pat is the Superintendent of Schools in Rockaway Borough.  Both new members were sponsored by BoardSecretary Jim Stuart.  

On September 7, 2011, the Rotary Club of the Rockaways inaugurated an additional weekly meeting on Wednesday mornings at 7:30 AM at the Rockaway Assembly of God Church on Main Street in Rockaway Borough.  “We've added a new meeting time so that we reach as many potential Rotarians as possible.  Times have changed since "lunch meetings"  were the most popular format for Rotary.  For many people, it is not possible to leave a job for an extended period in the middle of the day.  This additional weekly early morning meeting allows club members flexibility to come early, leave early, and still be involved.  The bottom line is that with more club members, we can do so much more for our community and our world.” (Jean McMullan, President)

Read article from the Neighbor News 

On Friday evening, October 21st, thenew “Teen Space” was officially opened in a ceremony at the Rockaway TownshipPublic Library.  This space was realizedthrough the financial support from our club for the purchase of furniture andmedia equipment.  Rockaway Rotary wasrecognized for our efforts with a plaque that will hang in the teen area of thelibrary.  Rockaway Rotarian and librarydirector, Michele Reutty, had previously stated “We have teens and pre-teenswho come to the library all the time, but we have no place for them to study,socialize with their friends, and work as a group on a project.  What we did have was underused space which wecould convert into a ‘teen space’.” With the financial backing of the RotaryClub plus the vision and planning of Mrs. Reutty and Teen Librarian, DarleneSteinhart, a wish became a reality.

Past President Sheila Seifert, President Jean McMullan, Rockaway Township Library Director Michele Reutty and President Elect Rodney Seifert with plaque recognizing the Rockaway Rotary Club for their contribution to the "Teen Space". 

At its August 15, 2011 meeting, the Rotary Clubof the Rockaways thanked the sponsors of the Rotary Club’s 5K “Race to FightHunger” which was held on July 7th.  Proceedsfrom this year’s race supported Rockaway Rotarians continuing efforts to combathunger in their communities through donations to the Rockaway Food Closet andthe Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry. Rosemary Gilmartin, Executive Director of the Morris County InterfaithFood Pantry, and Linda Kirby, Director of the Rockaway Food Closet, were eachpresented with $1000 checks from club president Jean McMullan and 5K Racechairperson, Bart Moriarty.  The RockawayFood Closet was given an additional check for $970 from monies collected at theclub’s recent food drive, plus 5K race shirt and ongoing cook book sales.  

THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE RUNNERS AND OUR SPONSORS FOR MAKING OUR 5K RACE A SUCCESS AND TO HELP "FIGHT HUNGER" 

5K Race Results

5K Race Photos

On Wednesday, August 10th, clubs from District 7470 participated in Service Club Day at Camp Merry Heart.  The clubs of District 7470 have been supporting Camp Merry Heart since 1952, providing the upkeep of buildings, donating camper scholarships, and providing much needed supplies.  View the slideshow in our Photo Albums.

THANK YOU TO ALL ROTARIANS AND GUESTS WHO ATTENDED OUR "NO MORE MALARIA" PARTY.  YOUR GENEROSITY WILL SAVE LIVES AND HELP PREVENT PEOPLE FROM CONTRACTING MALARIA.  

Monday, April 25, 2011, was "World Malaria Day" and the Rotary Club of the Rockaways celebrated with a "No More Malaria" party as a fun fund-raiser at the United Methodist Church in Rockaway Borough.  Attending Rotarians and their guests enjoyed a delicious lunch and learned about efforts in malaria prevention and Rockaway Rotary’s commitment to curtailing its spread, especially in Africa.  Rotarians weekly meeting fee and guests’ monetary contributions were allocated for Rockaway Rotary’s International Project to purchase specially treated mosquito nets that are practically impervious to mosquito penetration and the best protection from contracting malaria transmitted by mosquito bites.  The Rotary Club of the Rockaways’ donation to this effort continues the long-standing and on-going commitment of our club to supply these nets on a yearly basis. 

On March 11, 2011, The Rockaway Rotary Club received a commendation letter from NJ Governor Chris Christie for our donation to the Rockaway Township Public Library "Teen Space" project.

Click Here to View Commendation Letter from NJ Governor Chris Christie. 

ROTARY SPOTLIGHT 

John Beeman, Major Donor 

John Henry Beeman, who  was awarded a Rotary Foundation Level 2 Major Donor Award at the January  29th Presidents' - Foundation Ball, was recognized for his support of the The  Rotary Foundation and its myriad of programs. 

This past Saturday, members of the Rockaway Rotary Club braved the cool weather to collect non-perishable food items and monetary donations for the Rockaway Food Pantry during Rockaway Borough Schools’ “Winter Wonderland” at Thomas Jefferson School.  In addition to collecting food for needy families during the holidays, Rotary members also sold cook books to raise funds for our charitable projects. 

On Monday, December 6^th, the Rockaway Rotary Club held its annual Christmas Party at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rockaway.  Students from St. Peter’s Village in Denville and Little Lerner Academy were among the guests of the club.  Holiday musical entertainment was provided by the Little Lerner children and everyone joined in for a carol sing-a-along led by President Elect Jean McMullan.  A special appearance by the jolly old man in the red suit bearing gifts for the students was enjoyed by both young and old. 

Due to the time and efforts of the Rockaway Rotary Club and the generosity of club members and Rockaway area residents, many needy families will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner this year.  This past Saturday, in support of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, members of the Rockaway Rotary and the MHHS Interact Club collected frozen turkeys and other groceries to help New Jersey families who are struggling to pay their bills and are unable to stretch their budgets far enough to purchase the traditional Thanksgiving items.  54 turkeys were collected along with numerous bags of groceries and cash donations.  The ideal of ‘Service” is thriving in Rockaway Rotary.  We thank all of the community members who contributed to our efforts to assist those less fortunate.

Members of the Rockaway Rotary, led by Community Service chairperson Bart Morarity, have recently completed our annual distribution of dictionaries to all 3rd grade students in the public and parochial schools in Rockaway Borough and Rockaway Township.  Along with the dictionaries, students received custom bookmarks outlining Rockaway Rotary’s civic contributions.  Rockaway Rotary has also donated additional boxes of dictionaries to the Blairstown Rotary Club for their initiative for Africa.

The Rotary Club of the Rockaways recently donated over $1,900 to the Rotary Club of Uganda, Africa for the purchase of over 250 specially treated mosquito nets.  These types of nets are practically impervious to mosquito penetration.  It is a well-documented fact that over one million children, alone, die on a yearly basis in Africa from malaria, transmitted solely by mosquito bites.

This donation continues the long-standing commitment of the Rockaway Rotary Club to supply these nets on a yearly basis.  The Rotarians also provide financial support to other medical groups in the continuous program for vaccination of everyone throughout the world, aimed at the total eradication of polio.