Rotary
Membership
We'd Like to Get to Know You . . .
And We'd Like You To Get To Know Us!
Our club is looking for a "few good men and women" for membership; people interested
in and concerned for the communities in which they live and work. Rotary is a
good way for you or someone in your organization to participate in local community
service, and at the same time enjoy the fellowship and association of other business
and professional leaders in the community.
If you have an interest in learning more about Rotary membership, please contact
us. We'd be pleased to answer your questions or even better, have you visit
with us at one of our Thursday luncheons to get acquainted.
How Rotary Is Organized
A Rotary Club is an organization of business and professional leaders within
a defined community. Its purpose is fellowship and service. It has a president
and a board of directors. Club members are adult persons of good character
and good reputation who are, or were prior to retirement, proprietors,
partners, corporate officers, or managers of a business or profession,
or who hold or are retired from important positions with an executive capacity
therein.
A Rotary district is a geographical territory in which Rotary clubs
are associated for Rotary International administrative purposes. Each district
is headed by a district governor, an officer of RI whose job is to assist
clubs in the district. District governors are nominated by their district
and elected for one year at the RI International Convention.
Rotary International is an association of Rotary clubs throughout the
world. It is administered by a Board of Directors consisting of the President
and a President-elect of Rotary International and 17 other directors from
around the world. The World Headquarters of Rotary International is located
in Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A., a suburb of Chicago.
Your Privileges in Rotary
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The privilege of friendship with leaders
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in your community
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in neighboring cities
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throughout the U.S.A.
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around the world
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The privilege of giving service to your community.
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The privilege of developing international goodwill and understanding.
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The privilege of helping build higher ethical standards within your vocation.
Your Obligations in Rotary
Participation. To be a Rotarian you must give your time and talents
to the following: community work, social functions, and club and district
activities.
Attendance. 100% attendance is urged and honored in Rotary. To
achieve this goal: attend each weekly meeting of our club, make up at another
Rotary club within 14 days before or after missing a meeting, or attend
a District Institute, Assembly or Conference or a Rotary International
Convention. Attend 100% of our meetings! Stay for 100% of each meeting!
Proposing New Members. It is a privilege and obligation of every
Rotarian to propose new members.
Service on Committees. To promote the Ideal of Service, Rotarians
are encouraged to be active on the committee to which they have been appointed
by the President.
District Conference and International Convention. The District
Conference is an annual meeting of Rotarians of the district which provides
fellowship and discussion of the affairs of clubs and RI generally. Rotarians
and their spouses are encouraged to attend the District Conference. The
International Convention is held annually in April, May or June in a major
city such as Tokyo, Rome, Chicago, Toronto, or Mexico City. Rotarians from
all over the world meet to deal with the association's business and, through
international fellowship, gain knowledge of service in Rotary.
Club Projects
We have given our financial and personal support to these agencies and
local institutions:
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Farmers Market-Food Bank
We began this project in 2008 under the direction of chairman
Roger Fetter. The club's members transport excess food every Friday from the
Farmers Market in downtown State College to the State College Food Bank.This
goes on while the market is in place which is late Spring through Fall. This
has been an award winning project too!
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Books for Uganda
The World Community Service Committee -- consisting of Carl
Hill, Richard Jones, Charles
Balina and Mark Meckstroth -- headed
up this project of the State College Downtown Rotary Club to help bring books
to a developing country. For more information on how you can help us on future
projects like this, get in touch with any committee member. An interesting
article about the project was in the Collegian
on April 19, 2000.
- Computers for Sao Paulo, Brazil
This is another world service project of ours. We joined with a Rotary
Club in Sao Paulo, Brazil and a matching grant from Rotary International
and our District 7350 to provide computers and essential hardware for needy
children in orphanages here. Former president Dick
Held was the lead on this project in 2001.
- A Classroom in Istanbul, Turkey
This is another world service project of ours in 2005 and 2006. We joined
with a Rotary Club in Istanbul, Turkey a matching grant from Rotary International
and our District 7350 to provide computers and classroom materials to furnish
a technology classroom with essential hardware for children in a highschool
here. Former president Hugh Mose was the lead on this project in 2005 and
2006.
- Water Project in Dominican Republic
This is a current project we are undertaking in 2009. We will be providing
clean water for an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Due to the economic
recession or a lack of funds to match ours from Rotary International this
project is on hold. Hugh Mose is the contact person for this event.
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Two for One Coupon Book (Our seventh year in 2011!) EVEN
BETTER than before with more and better coupons for the same price of $20!!(Contact
for your book)
Behind the leadership of project chair Jason Slocum , the club solicits donations
from various area merchants in order to create a 2 for 1 coupon book that
we sell to raise money. 2004 was our first year for this project and it went
well. We had quite a few restaurants offer dinners and meals, we had athletic
clubs offer 2 for 1 on three-month memberships. The coupon book sells for
$20. It is the best deal in State College. Just by visiting one place you
can break even. In 2011 it will be the best value ever!
- Dictionary Project
Every third grader in Happy Valley gets a dictionary from our club. 2010-11
is the 5rd year of this project for our club. We do this with the two other
clubs in State College.
- Spring Clean-Up at Lederer Park
The Club sponsors Lederer Park as part of the State College Borough's annual
park clean-up day of all the parks. Each year we spend a Saturday morning
in April at the Park sprucing it up, painting, mulching, picking up fallen
leaves and limbs, drinking coffee and snarfing bagels. It was lots of fun
with great fellowship making the park look GREAT for the coming spring and
summer! Contact any member to get more information
about helping out next year. The park is named for the family of one of our
dear former members, Eugene Lederer who passed away in 2003 after many years
of service to Rotary and the community in many ways. We'll miss Eugene and
his friendship very much.
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Special Olympics
Each year we are involved with Special Olympics in State College. The Special
Olympics is held during the first week and weekend of June. Rotarians help
out in various capacities. In 2003, we were scheduled to run an event that
would have been held outside had it not rained so darm much. In its place
we ran a hearing clinic for atheletes and their families.E-mail any club
member for more information on what we do and how you can help us make
the Special Olympics better in 2009.
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Memorial Weekend VolleyBall Tournament Fund Raiser (On hold due
to venue changes for 2005-11)
As in previous years, the club staffs a food booth for this campus wide tournament.
In past years, we had a booth at the IM building on the Pennsylvania State
University campus over Memorial Day Weekend providing snacks and drinks to
participants and friends in this multi-state Volleyball Tournament. This event
is an annual fund raiser for the club. The IM building is across from
the Shield's building (registrar) and the Wagner building (WPSU/ROTC).
- Penn State Nittany Lion Football Games
This
is a fundraiser it is hard to believe we get to do it! We watch Penn State
Football and get paid!! Actually we work the gates of the football games for
two hours before kickoff keeping dangerous items like umbrellas, backpacks,
and big pocketbooks out of the stadium. At kickoff we go and watch the game
from the seats on the field in the South endzone. Thats right! Our seats are
down on the field! Where all the action is. We open the volunteers to non-Rotarians
too. We are limited to only ten helpers per game.
There is nothing quite like being on the field for the blowout victories vs
Nebraska and Notre Dame and the club getting paid to do it. The Penn State
athletic department pays the club for each worker for each game. In 2007 through
2010 we raised over a thousand dollars while having a terrific time. 2011
looks to be even better as we fill all volunteer spots. The coordinator for
this fund raiser each year has been Paul
Rutter. Email to help! Remember in 2011 we play Alabama
at home! Those who help at icky games get to help at the awesome games.
- Spaghetti Dinner Fund Raiser
The club has put on spaghetti dinner fund raisers in recent years. Tickets are available from any Rotarian. (All Rotarians are selling tickets). There are take out plates available as well as room for dining with us in the church hall. Rotarians volunteer to help set up, cook, and clean for the dinner. Retired pastor Carl Hill is the contact person for this event being held at his former church, Mt. Nittany United Methodist Church in Lemont.In 2011 the event will be on April ___. Contact any Rotarian for tickets. You can take out or dine in.
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Members of the Club help out for the Day of Caring. In 2010 we had about 30
Rotarians show up to help clean up Lederer Park. Brad Schmitt has been the
chair of this event.
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Christmas Bell Ringing
During the Christmas season, members of the club help one of the ministries
in town raise money by ringing bells near the Corner Room at the corner of
S. Allen St. and College St.
- Festival of the Trees Fund Raiser
The club runs the only consession booth at this festival held at the PSU Agriculture
Arena during the winter holiday season to raise money for club projects. And
we have a lot of fun watching the trees as they get decorated and the many
people that come to visit the ag arena to listen to different music groups
that perform.Carl Hill and Rotarians cook great awesome home made soups, chili
and sloppyjoes for this event.
- State College YMCA
This is an organization that we have been raising money for in
order to support a pledge that the club made to support what the YMCA does
in the community.
- Sponsor of a Charitable Foundation 501(c)3
In early 2003 under president Meg Moose' leadership, after ten years of
planning, the club was able to get its status as a charitable foundation approved
by all the necessary people and agencies. We are able to accept donations
that will be tax deductible now. A separate board of directors from the club
has been established to handle requests and any other concerns that might
need the foundation's attention. One can contact 2010-2011 Charitable Giving
Committee chairman Don Bedell with questions and concerns.
- Rotary Centennial Project
This project that is joint with the State College Rotary club (aka
the evening club) is being undertaken to commemorate Rotary's
100th anniversay on February 23, 2005. With the evening club we constructed
a "tot lot" at the parklet in downtown. This is the park on Fraser
street below the post office and above Memorial Field. We sold bricks to raise
money for this event. The bricks will have just given names - no family names.
The idea is kids can look around for their names or how many times their name
is listed on a brick.
- Polio Plus
Polio eradication
has been a major goal of the club on an International basis. With our club
and the support of local Rotary clubs all over the world, we will be able
to rid the globe of polio once and for all. Linda
Friedman is the contact person for our club in this area. We pledged $11,000.
So far we have earned $3750 to this project. If you have extra money to give
a good cause, call Linda.
We are a federally tax exempt 501(c)3 organization now so your gift is tax
deductible, but always check with yourt tax advisor to make sure in case your
situation is unique.
Members
The Rotary Club of State College, Downtown, has members representing some
of the leading companies and professionals serving our area.
Members in the State College, Downtown Rotary Club:
Bedell, Don
Brown, Cathy
Brytczuk, Gary
Byers, Noreen
Christian, Brian
Cox, Mike
Dayananda, Jim (Dr. D)
Dixon, Paul
Domalski, Rainer
Dunlap, Roger
Eberly, Jim |
Fetter, Roger
Gambone, Chuck
Gatto, Frank
Geise, Joseph
Hackett, Charlie
Held, Richard
Hickey, Chris
Hill, Rev. Carl
Johnston, Darren
Koschny, Mark |
Kauffman, Rose
King, Jana
Martella, Dennis
Martin, Leanne
May, Jim
Meckstroth, Mark
Moose, Meg
Mose, Hugh
Potalivo, Chris
Rutter, Paul
Sanders, Laurel
Schmidt, Rob |
Schmitt, Brad
Sepich, Tracy
Sloan, Todd
Slocum, Jason
Snowe, Kathryn (Kat)
Trudeau, George
Turley, Chris
Walsh, Carol
Whitfield, Mark
Williams, Bob
Yeckley, Brad
Zimbler, Harry |
(if an email address doesn't work please let me know so I can fix it (thanks, Paul)
Neighboring
Clubs
- Monday - Tyrone, 5:45 PM, Bull Penn Restaurant
- Tuesday - Huntingdon, 12:05 PM, Raystown Country
Inn
Hollidaysburg,
6:00 PM, Calvin House;
Altoona,
Noon, Calvin House
State
College, 5:30 PM, Nittany Lion Inn
- Wednesday - Altoona Sunrise, 7:15 AM, Park Hills
Country Club
State
College Sunrise, 7:15 AM, Hotel State College
- Thursday - Pleasant Gap, 6:00 PM, Sunset
West
- Friday - Bellefonte 7:30 AM, Cafe on the Park

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