Ridgefield Rotary serves up 15th Annual ‘Taste of Ridgefield’ today

Posted on 01/26/2014 by rickbassett

The hundreds of people that attended the Ridgefield Rotary Club‘s 15 Annual ‘Taste of Ridgefield’ event today were treated to delicious food, fabulous wine and beer as well as top notch entertainment.

Today’s event (January 26, 2014) was sponsored by the Fairfield County Bank and Vazzana Management Consulting and was held at the Ridgefield Community Center. There were 2 sessions: from 12:30 – 2:30 pm, and 4:00 – 6:00 pm to accommodate the many attendees.

The restaurant lineup included: Bernard’s, Piccolo Pizza, Ross’ Bread, The Cutting Board, Bareburger, Gallo, 121 , Ancona’s Market, Dimitri’s Diner, Deborah Ann’s, The Cake Box, Carvel, Cellar XV, Ridgefield Liquors, Liberta’s Spirits, and The Little Pub.

Entertainment was provided by local RMAC musicians Georgie Brennan, Susan Bozso and Apollo’s Legacy. Gift bags, including coupons to local establishments, were also be distributed attendees.

Proceeds from A Taste of Ridgefield will be donated back to the community in the form of grants and scholarships. Every year, the Ridgefield Rotary donates thousands of dollars to various local organizations and students through several programs and initiatives. (Source: The Ridgefield Press)

AT&T Donates $10,000 to Devon Rotary Club’s Trust

Posted on 01/21/2014 by rickbassett

Left to Right: CT State Representative James Maroney, Kelly Wade Bettuchi of AT&T, Dr. Jason Jenkins, Rotary President, and CT Senator Gayle Slossberg – Photo by Greyson Schwing

The Devon Rotary Club‘s Trust received a generous donation of $10,000 from Kelly Wade Bettuchi of AT&T last week.

The Devon Rotary Trust is a 501 (c) (3) recognized charitable foundation trust of the Devon Rotary Club that makes community grants and scholarships annually.

The club just passed the $1 million mark in gifts to the community (read more here) as they generously support; Literacy Center of Milford, Beth El Shelter, Boys and Girls Club and Bridges Mentoring program to name just a few. They also award about $20,000 per year in scholarships to Milford students from their club foundation.

Newtown Rotary Club is giving the Gift of Life

Posted on 01/08/2014 by rickbassett

Past President Pat Caruso – Talking on the Gift of Life

Tonight several Newtown Rotarians are braving this brutally cold weather and taking the train down to New York City to meet a family from Belize whose 3 1/2 year daughter, Genesis, is in serious need of a heart operation.

Logistics have been coordinated through the Rotary Club at JFK Airport to meet the family and get them into the City for a Gift of Life event before they all return to Newtown Connecticut to stay with Immediate Past President Mike Toll and his wife Monica.

Genesis has a hole in her heart, has congenial heart disease and she requires a specialized operation that wasn’t obtainable in her country. At 3 1/2 years old, she is just 22 lbs and her prognosis would be dire without this specialized care.

The Newtown Connecticut Rotary Club and the Gift of Life group have worked out an arrangement with The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore where she will get the operation and the care that she needs for a donation of $6,000 by the Newtown Rotary Club, which is a modest amount in comparison to the normal ‘rack rate’ of such specialized care.

She will visit the with cardiologist next week and the operation will probably take place the following week, followed by 6-8 weeks of recovery time before Genesis and her family can return home.

Past President Pat Caruso, who is passionate about the good that Rotary and The Gift of Life does, is the contact person for this initiative. The entire Newtown Rotary Club is laser focused on helping people within their community and around the world.

Has anyone seen the Ali Rose?

Posted on 01/06/2014 by rickbassett

The ” Ali Rose” by Norwich Rotary with Past President Bonnie Hong and Current President Barry Shead

The “Ali Rose” is a 12-passenger high-tech electric powered old-fashioned looking trolley shuttle bus that is the product of a three-year project to convert a former ambulance chassis donated by American Ambulance into a retro-look, high-tech, electric-powered and computerized shuttle bus by the Norwich Rotary Club.

At $80,000 the “Ali Rose” is the the largest community service project ever done by The Norwich Rotary Club as it involved scores of local companies and schools that helped with the grassroots project, from Norwich Regional Technical High School and Three Rivers Community College to Netkin’s Upholstered Furniture on Talman Street.

Donating the trolley was only a small part of the Rotary’s plan. The Club has also launched the formation of Green Energy Technologies, Inc., an employee-owned company that will produce electric-powered trolleys for tourism districts across the country. The “Ali Rose” is a prototype of future trolleys to come from this sustainable initiative. Bonnie Hong, Past Norwich Rotary president has been the project leader of this initiative since it’s inception.

The trolley, which was donated to the City of Norwich in May, should be in service soon, as soon as the logistics with the charging stations resolved.

Connecticut Rotary Clubs helping to keep our State warm

Posted on 01/03/2014 by rickbassett

It’s cold out there Campers…

Most of Connecticut woke up to single digit temperatures this morning with fresh snow accumulations in the 4 – 8 inch range. The blowing wind make it feel much colder.

Many of our D7980 Rotary Clubs have been anticipating and preparing for this extreme cold weather for months by providing warm coats and clothing to kids and families in need and by providing various forms of fuel assistance.

All told our Southern Connecticut Rotary Clubs (and the Rotary Foundation in the form of District Managed Grants) will provide just north of $100K in this type of assistance to the people in our State during this Rotary year.

The following is a list of D7980 Rotary Clubs that have been providing warm clothing (and or fuel assistance) for the past several months in preparation for this arctic blast:

Branford, Bridgeport, Cheshire, Chester, Clinton, Colchester, East Hampton, East Haven, Essex, Guilford, Madison, Middletown, North Branford, North Haven, Norwalk, Norwich, Orange, Old Saybrook, Trumbull, and Woodbridge.

Is your Rotary Club missing from this list? Then simply have your President (or President-elect) complete our midyear Club Survey by clicking here and we will be sure to include your Club.

Trumbull Rotary completes Habitat for Heroes House for Veteran

Posted on 01/02/2014 by rickbassett

CT Habitat for Heroes Dedication Day

In September 2012 the Trumbull Rotary Club announced their plans for an ambitious Habitat for Heroes project to build a home in Bridgeport for a veteran’s family. The project was co-sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County. With this project the Trumbull Rotary Club became the founding sponsor of the first ‘Habitat for Heroes’ initiative in Connecticut.

Trumbull Rotary 50k challenge

The first phase of the project was completed in mid-October 2012 when the two non-profit organizations raised the initial $50,000 required for ground breaking. The Trumbull Rotary Club contributed $22,000 in challenge matching funding.

Ground breaking on the first CT Habitat for Heroes home

On Veterans Day, November 11, 2012, The Trumbull Rotary Club and Habitat for Humanity broke ground and began excavating the building lot. The building lot was donated by the city of Bridgeport.

Trumbull Rotarians on one of many Build Days

In March 2013 Trumbull Rotarians were the first workers to help construct walls for the structure on a ‘build day’. The Rotarians were joined by other civic and veterans organizations, as well as local businesses and individuals. There would be a number of additional hands-on ‘build days’ that Trumbull Rotarians actively participated in during the construction of the home.

Staff Sgt. Juliet Taylor

The Heroes House was completed and dedicated on Veterans Day 2013 this past November, just 1 year after the ground breaking. Army Staff Sgt. Juliet Taylor is now living in her new home with her two sons, daughter and grandson. Taylor has served more than 11 years of active service, including an 18-month tour in Iraq and two humanitarian tours in Afghanistan.

Mike Rappa, Bill Zeidenberg and John McBride

This initiative got started after Past President Jim Malski came back from NE PETS and challenged the Club membership to come up with a meaningful multi-year project benefiting the surrounding Trumbull community and having a significant impact on someone or some persons. The Club voted on Malski’s proposal and Past Presidents Bill Zeidenberg, Mike Rappa and John McBride took led the project from conception in Jim’s year to completion this Rotary year under Holly Sutton-Darr’s Presidency.

Immediate Past President Jim Malski

The completed project cost approximately $150,000 plus a considerable amount of donated labor.

Current President Sutton-Darr with Juliet Taylor

Current President Holly Sutton-Darr with Juliet Taylor

The Trumbull Rotary Club led the way in helping to raise the initial $50,000 required to break ground, they also provided project oversight, ‘hands-on’ labor during build days and they assisted Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County in raising the additional $100,000 required.

Update: The Trumbull Rotary Club has agreed to assist a second house and they hope to have the initial ‘ground breaking’ funds raised by 2/14/2014. Interested in helping out, partnering or donating? Then contact Past President Bill Zeidenberg via email.

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