Westfield Rotary

For further information about programs or press credentials, please contact Veronique Cordier (908) 889-6639, ventnet@aol.com
Guests are welcome to join us at any of the weekly meetings.  Anyone interested in attending a program or learning more about Rotary in Westfield, may contact Mark Swingle, President @ 908-379-2705, visit http://westfieldrotary.com or email westfieldrotary@gmail.com.

 Upcoming programs include:
JUNE 1 – KIDS AND ROTARY
Members of the Early Act club at Wilson School, a school-wide service club for elementary students sponsored by the Westfield Rotary, will visit and present their new promotional video. Closely linked to the ideals of Rotary, the EarlyAct™ club engages young students in character-building activities, provides them with the opportunity for increasing awareness and knowledge of the world around them and prepares them for leadership roles to identify and carry out projects which benefit? their school, local and global communities. Early Act advisors, Trista Nwokey and Matthew Borchin will also be inducted as honorary Rotarians for their service.

JUNE 8 – THE POWER OF PURPOSEFUL REINVENTION: WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS STAND FOR?
Heidi Guest, Founder and President of The Guest Experience, will speak about how her consulting company created a significant charitable component focused on the education and development of inner-city youth.  In 2009, Guest and her channel partner, Talent Plus, launched one of the first talent identification and strength-based leadership and mentoring programs for the students of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City.  As an executive for 22 years with the Estee Lauder Company’s number one volume division, Clinique, Guest knew the return on investment that came from identifying and developing talent at all levels of the corporation.  It was her dream to incorporate mentoring into her own company’s mission by playing a significant hands-on role and bringing her expertise on The Science of Talent to benefit high school students  in the inner-city.  Guest passionately believes that business leaders need to be meaningfully engaged in their communities and she hopes that her model inspires others to consider how they too,  can make a powerful difference in the lives of youth.

JUNE 15 – 88th ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON
This year, The Westfield Rotary Club Foundation will award 23 local high school students with a total of $92,000 in combined scholarships to pursue their higher education. The Scholarship began in 1922 as a College Loan Program following a speech to club members given by Mabel S. Douglas, Founder and Dean of New Jersey College for Women later named for her.  In 1929, Charles Philhower, Superintendent of Schools and Rotary President, led the conversion to a scholarship fund.  Funded through donations, bequests and fund raising events, the non-profit foundation was established in 1971 to finance scholarships. To date the amount of scholarship awards to Westfield students totals nearly $1.7 million.
JUNE 22 – 2010-11 CLUB INDUCTIONS
The Westfield Rotary Club, founded in 1921, will swear in its new slate of officers for 2010-2011. This includes Ray Kostyack – President; Sherry Cronin – Vice President; Nancy Jackson – Secretary; Lauren Falk – Treasurer; Veronique Cordier – Director and Program Chair; Theresa Valentino – Director; Mark Miller – Director; Barbara Franz – Director; Darielle Walsh – Grants Committee Chair; Liz Ensslin – Scholarship Committee Chair. Mark Swingle will replace Mark Elsasser as chairman of the club’s Foundation. The club will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2011.

JUNE 29 – WESTFIELD FOUNDATION; QUIETLY AND PROFOUNDLY HELPING THE COMMUNITY
A local organization with deep roots in the area, A local organization with deep roots in the area, The Westfield Foundation is a community foundation founded in 1975 by local citizens, led by Rotarian, the late Emerson Thomas. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life for Westfield residents by managing investments and funding local grants with the income earned.  Over its 35 year history, Foundation trustees have awarded over $4 million in grants to local organizations and programs.  The Foundation also manages 46 scholarship funds, including that of the Westfield Rotary Club, providing over $90,000 annually to local students. Rick Coltrera, the Investment Committee Chair of the Westfield Foundation will offer insight into their organization’s mission and the impact of a changing financial environment as well as to deliver a briefing on the status of the club’s giving portfolio.

April 20 – FURNITURE ASSIST – MAKING A HOUSE A HOME

Furniture Assist, a local outreach program established to provide furniture, appliances and other household items, free of charge, to families or individuals in need, has been a grant recipient of the Westfield Rotary club for numerous years. A need may include, but not be limited to, a previously homeless or refugee or financially challenged family or battered spouse trying to set up a new home or needing additional essential items for their household. Dawson Yeomans, founder of the organization will give us an update on their work.

April 27 –SAVE ON UTILITY BILLS – GO GREEN!

Green Energy Improvements (GEI) is a Building Performance Institute (BPI) accredited home energy testing and renovations company, founded by Evan Siegel & Michael Mroz. They will talk about how you can conserve energy, lower the cost of your utility bills, and make your home a more comfortable, safer, and greener environment.  GEI facilitates the NJ Clean Energy Program incentives and can offer significant cash rebates and tax credits.

Upcoming programs include:

May 4 – PHILHOWER AWARD

The Rotary Club of Westfield is pleased to announce the 18th annual Charles Philhower Teaching Fellowship to an outstanding elementary school teacher. The Fellowship recognizes the importance of teaching in the elementary grades and honors former Rotarian and noted educator Charles Philhower. This is a fitting memorial to an educator who gave so much to the children of Westfield and to education in general. The Philhower Fellowship recipient will be honored at this luncheon and will receive a grant to further professional growth or to enhance classroom activities for students.
May 11 – COMMUNITY SERVICE GRANTS AWARDS LUNCHEON

The Westfield Rotary Club, in accordance with one of its goals of community service, will be awarding grants to local non-profit agencies for programs and projects that directly serve people in the community. Grant recipients will be recognized at this Rotary luncheon and will receive grant funding to continue and enhance the work of their non-profit organizations. More information is available on the club’s website.
May 18 – IRAYNA COURT: ENDING HOMELESSNESS

Irayna Court is a housing program with support services for young women, ages 18-21 years old, who have aged out of the State’s foster care system, young men being released from juvenile detention, homeless Veterans and homeless single women and children. It was founded by speaker Reverend Seth Kaper-Dale, pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, along with his wife and co-pastor Stephanie Kaper-Dale.Together they created a nonprofit organization, Making it Possible to End Homelessness (MIPH), which built facilities on their church rooftop and now provides staff and support services. These services focus on bringing the residents to a point where they can live independently and includes life skills building, mental health and substance abuse support, financial literacy, good tenancy, education and career planning, mentoring, and various support groups.

May 25 – FOOD & MOOD – YOU FEEL WHAT YOU EAT

Learn about how to maximize physical and emotional health through your food choices. The presentation by Karen Ensle Ed.D., RD, FADA, CFCS, Dept Head/Associate Professor/FCHS Educator at Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union Co, includes a set of guidelines intended to improve one’s eating habits and includes a discussion of the brain and nervous system functions and how they are affected by food intake which in turn affects one’s mood and emotional health. If you are depressed or stressed and you want a nutritional approach to improving your mood, this presentation will be helpful.

On March 31, 2010, we began the process of moving our domain o a new server to better take advantage of the capabilities of the web.
Continue to visit our site for updated information. Applications for the 2010 Community grants and the 2010 Scholarship Awards are available at links on this page. More links and information will be added shortly.