Member Meeting February 20, 2024

Glad to be back this week at our regularly scheduled meeting as last week we were canceled due to the snow.
Great discussion and briefings regarding our regular Happenings within our club to include the Peace Pole, Hope Children's Fund Gala, Gift of Life Gala as well as our largest fundraiser our 7th Annual Putt & Pub Crawl on March 2nd. With our 150 golfers registered and still coming in we are excited to Putt our way through Port Jefferson. There is still time to join in the fun! Register today.
We welcome our guest speaker Patty Cammarrata of the VFW Post 4927 Auxiliary in Port Jefferson Station. Glad to have them in their new location within the community as they were formally of Centereach. 
Our club received some exciting pictures from Nancy and Dale on their friendship exchange trio to South Africa. We are so happy for them to represent our club! 
Looking forward to seeing you at the gift basket wrap this Friday and next Thursday at Erika's office! 
Member Meeting February 20, 2024 Jennifer Dzvonar 2024-02-20 05:00:00Z 0

Feb 6th Member Meeting 

Bright sunny day for a great Rotary Meeting!
Strong attendance by St Charles Hospital administrators as well as a potential new member Tom Greco a local Tailor. We look forward to having him in our club.
Strong praises again regarding the successful food drive with Infant Jesus Open Cupboard. Will be sharing our success with the Rotary district newsletter and website. 
Dale is excited to share his experiences with the Rotary Friendship exchange. Next trip is South Africa with 8 Rotarians ready for the excursion!
Winter Golf Classic is March 2nd! Still accepting sponsorships, golfers, and raffle prizes. A very exciting Putt & Pub Crawl in the beautiful Village of Port Jefferson. 
March 9th is the Hope Children's Fund Annual Gala  - fundraiser for an orphanage in Kenya on a 10 acre farm housing aver 90 children ages 5 - 22. 
There will be a joint Rotary meeting with Rocky Point and will discuss our day of service together on Saturday May 18th at Camp Paquatuck.
President Michael Burkhardt has joined the board of the Gift of Life Long Island and announced their annual Gala on Wednesday May 22nd.
Very informative presentation and update from St Charles Hospital. Proud to present $2000 for their foundation supporting the community.
Spectacular Sargeant report by Eric Cherches about black history month! 
Our raffle is up to $760 and the pot grows til next week! You have to be here to win the money 💰 
Next week will be our Most Motivated Students from Comsewogue and our Open Cupboard food collection. 
Feb 6th Member Meeting Jennifer Dzvonar 2024-02-06 05:00:00Z 0

January Evening Meeting

Delightful meeting at M&T Bank in Port Jefferson. Michelle had some great food and drinks to satisfy the many attendees. Great networking, fellowship, and some new attendees as potential members. Looking forward to seeing you at the next meeting on Tuesday February 6th 12:15pm at Cafe Spiga.
January Evening Meeting Jennifer Dzvonar 2024-01-31 05:00:00Z 0

January 23rd General Club Meeting 

Great attendance today for our meeting today. Excited to hear from our member Marianne who owns All Aboard Doggie Daycare & Boarding for Rotary Vocational month. 
*The Peace Pole has been ordered and will be placed at the PJST Chamber Train Car. Rebecca will spearhead the research to see which 8 languages best serve our community. 
*Food drive is scheduled for January 28th. Send all donations to Brian beforehand if can't drop off that day. Keep sharing on social media!
*Superbowl fundraiser will start soon at $25 per box. Led by Rebecca,  Sal, and Bob payments can be made through Zeffy or to any Rotarian. 
*Save the date for the Annual Hope Children's Fund Gala on March 9th at East Winds in Wading River.
*Annual Putt & Pub Crawl, which is our biggest fundraiser, will be held on Saturday March 2nd.  Our focus is on collecting Golfer and Sponsors. M&T Bank will be utilizing this event for a Team Bonding Experience.  Great idea!!!
*In 3 weeks Nancy and Dale will be going on the South African Rotary friendship exchange. Open to all Rotarians. The South Africans will be here and will schedule a meeting together the 1st week of July.
*Another wonderful Sargeant report done by Al Kopcienski on the history of our club.
Weekly raffle chosen by Marianne but sadly the Ace of Spaids lives on and the pot grows! Be here for the chance to win.
January 23rd General Club Meeting Jennifer Dzvonar 2024-01-23 05:00:00Z 0

PJ Rotary January 16th

Great meeting today! Comsewogue Library director Debbie Engelhardt ran our meeting in the absence of our President.  Our Sargent AL Kopcienski's report was uplifting as he reminded the club of many past events that brought much fellowship and fun to the members. Reminisced about Louis Armstrong,  Opera Singers, and day cruises with the yacht club. A goal to work towards for 2024!
Member Brian Hoerger reminded the club of the Food pantry collection event on January 28th and of open Cupboard collection today. Sargent AL Kopcienski started off the collection plate with with $20 and ended with $139 to go to the pantry today!
The weekly card raffle is up to $728 to the winner. Sadly, Member John Rate drew the 3 of stairs so the pot continues to grow with only 13 cards left. Ace of spaids wins!
See you all next week - same time, same great location at Cafe Spiga.
PJ Rotary January 16th Jennifer Dzvonar 2024-01-16 05:00:00Z 0

Welcome 2024!

Warm welcome back from the Holidays for all Rotarians! January is Vocational month for Rotary. The PJ Club will be scheduling their members who have businesses to highlight and promote their business. Our President Michael Burkhardt went over Rotary Happenings and updated the club on Hope Children's Fund Annual Gala, Gift of Life, District Happenings this Saturday, our Annual Putt & Pub Crawl Winter Golf Classic on Saturday March 2nd, Rotary Friendship exchange to South Africa, and our Most Motivated Student, Angelina Marsala  from the Port Jefferson School district. 
Congratulations to Rotary member Paul Vigliante of Branch Funeral Home on the birth of his 3rd Daughter Blake. 
 
Al Kopcienski's Sargeant report on the history of our club was phenomenal! Many happy dollars collected and a reminder for our monthly food pantry collection will be next Tuesday. 
Welcome 2024! Jennifer Dzvonar 2024-01-09 05:00:00Z 0

PJ Rotary Club News Meeting Nov. 21st 2023

Gathered with Grateful hearts today with many club members and visiting Rotarians from the Rocky Point Club Deirdre Dubato and Robert Woods along with guest Melissa from the North Shore Youth Council. Club president Michael Burkhardt went through the agenda recapping the dinner for 10 that was won by Larry from the Rocky Point Rotary Club. Dinner will be in September 2024 at Al Kopcienski's barn with our chef of the evening, Pat Sabo. Waitstaff with cleanup and set up crew requested! 
Michael Burkhardt along with *Kevin Mann from the RP club will be attending the Port Jefferson Village Parks and Rec meeting on Nov. 29th to discuss placement of a Peace Pole in the village as it is a Rotary project.
*December 9th is the Regional Happenings meeting at Camp Paquatuck.  Registration is still open via the district website.
*Gift wrapping will be on Dec. 12th at 2:40pm at the Port Jefferson High School. Arrange with Debbie Engelhardt for Paper, scissors, tape, and post its. Item description and # must be on all wrapped items.
*March 9th 2024 is the Hope Children's Fund Annual Gala. Rotarians will be at half price if $99.50 and all guests are $199 pp. Lookong to have a table or two at the event.
* Golf Committee update - Date is secured for March 2, 2024. Host will be The Curry Club at SaGhar. This is one of our biggest fundraisers! 
*November 28th is our evening meeting hosted by Jen Dzvonar of the Port Jeff station Terryville Chamber of Commerce at the Chamber Train Car Southeast corner of Rt 112 & Rt 347. Wine and cheese will be served and a great evening of networking and fellowship is expected. 
*Mt Sinai interact club will be participating in a coat drive. New or washable coats are requested.
*Shoe drive with the RP Rotary.  Any pair of shoes is acceptable. Rubber band together and collection is through end of February 2024.
*Presentation given by Robert Woods the Executive Director of the North Shore Youth Council was very informative.  Some key points; Programs and services have been expanded, focusing on the Mental Health crisis with a team stationed at the SWR High School.  $3M annual budget comes from Funding from the Town of Brookhaven for the Open Mic Nights hosted every Friday, Suffolk County, and the rest is comprised of Fundraisers and Donations. The Port Jefferson Rotary Club presented the NSYC with a donation of $750. We wish them much success and appreciate all their good works in the community.
PJ Rotary Club News Meeting Nov. 21st 2023 Jennifer Dzvonar 2023-11-21 05:00:00Z 0

PJ Rotary Club Meeting News Nov. 17th 2023

A great showing at the Nov 17th Meeting!
*Rotarians celebrated the Most Motivated Student, Frank Lunati from the Port Jefferson Middle School, a 6th grader who has been an exemplary student. Pictured with his teacher, Mrs. Roth-Ueno, his parents and Principal Brian Walker.
*Our Rotary donated a dinner for up to 10 people at Al Kopcienski's Historic 1600's Barn for the Rotary Foundation Luncheon Silent Auction that was held on Sunday Nov. 12th and we were the highest bid item and raised $1,425 for the Foundation! Anxiously awaiting a great evening of fellowship.
*Our club has accepted 98 Children in need from our local community and all 98 children have been claimed by our Rotarians. Gift wrapping will be on December 12th at 2:40pm with a fellowship celebration of our good deed to follow at Billies 1900.
*Our monthly Open Cupboard collection of items to go to the local food pantry was collected and Dennis and Brian made the delivery. 
*The Rotary Golf Committee is actively planning our annual event for March 2nd with more details to follow.
*President Michael Burghardt will be attending the Regional happenings meeting on December 9th at Camp Paquatuck.
*Next PJ Rotary Club meeting is Tuesday November 21st 12:15pm at Cafe Spiga and we look forward to seeing our member and our monthly evening meeting will be held on Tuesday November 28th at the Historic Port Jefferson Station Terryville Chamber of Commerce Train Car located at the intersection of Rt 112 & Rt 347 where an evening of fellowship and networking will take place. All members are encouraged to attend and to bring their family and potential new members.
 
PJ Rotary Club Meeting News Nov. 17th 2023 Jennifer Dzvonar 2023-11-17 05:00:00Z 0

Port Jefferson Rotary Club General Meeting

Posted by Michael Christian on Jun 13, 2023
General Meeting
Meeting Minutes 6-13-2023
Location: Cafe Spiga
 
President Michael B. called the meeting to order at approximately 12:15pm. The meeting opened with pledge of allegiance and invocation. Before going through the agenda, Michael welcomed the attendees from other Rotary chapters. Michael informed the group that an email was distributed prior to the meeting, reviewing the topics from the week before. Attendance improvement was major focus of the discussion. There will be a buddy system implemented for active members to remind a "buddy" of upcoming events and meetings. The group was then reminded of the upcoming event, the Summer Soiree, hosted by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization to honor longtime Rotarian, Judi Betts. The event cost $195 and is scheduled for June 22, 2023 at 6pm. Members were asked to inform Michael B. if they are interested in attending. Port Jefferson Rotary Club is willing to contribute toward the cost of an event if a member is interested in attending. For more information, club members can send an email to Michael and place a formal request. The next topic of discussion was the Rotary Friendship Exchange program. In June 2023, local Rotarians are traveling to Sweden visit clubs in their country. Port Jefferson Rotary Club is considering participating in the annual 4th of July parade, sponsored by the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. Michael surveyed the group and a select group of individuals volunteered to participate. Michael informed the group that a follow up email would be sent to determine who is actually committing to the event. A community member reached out to a representative from the club requesting to pay for a bench to memorialize their daughter's upcoming first birthday. Various locations were discussed and the family will be contacted to determine what they had in mind. Michael C. announced that the month's evening meeting is scheduled for June 20, 2023 at 5:30pm and the event is taking place at Sunrise Senior Living of East Setauket. Michael told the group that a recent graduate from Columbia reached out requesting assistance with a District/Global Scholarship application. Michael is going to follow up with the district for more information about the process. The Port Jefferson Rotary Club will potentially partner with the Rocky Pointe Rotary Club to conduct a makeup date for the Rotary Day of Service due to the poor weather experienced on the day. The annual Past-President's Dinner and Raffle Ticket Fundraiser is scheduled to occur on September 28, 2023 at 5pm and will take place at Savino's Hideaway (258 N Country Rd, Mt. Sinai, NY 11766). Jennifer Dzvonar distributed the tickets and informed the group that each member will be responsible for participating. As stated earlier, the next meeting is scheduled for June 20th at 5:30pm at Sunrise Senior Living of East Setauket (1 Sunrise Drive, East Setauket NY 11733).
 
Port Jefferson Rotary Club General Meeting Michael Christian 2023-06-13 04:00:00Z 0

Port Jefferson Rotary Club General Meeting

Posted by Michael Christian on Jun 06, 2023
General Meeting
Meeting Minutes 6-5-2023
Location: Cafe Spiga
 
President Michael B. called meeting to order. Meeting opened with pledge of allegiance and invocation. To begin the meeting, Michael spoke briefly about the Rotary Fellowships and encourage members to get more involved. The group then reviewed the June Club schedule and Michael announced the monthly evening meeting will now be held on June 20th at Sunrise Senior Living in East Setauket from 5:30pm-7:00pm. Following the schedule review, Michael asked the group for feedback on club's performance for the year (2022-2023). Michael also requested suggestions for how to improve attendance and promote club activities to the local community. One suggestion presented was to promote Rotary activities and events in local church bulletins and to consider adding more signage in the Port Jefferson area. The idea of sponsoring advertisements on Google was also discussed. To increase attendance at Rotary events, the members asked if Rotary would contribute toward members attending paid events. Michael said the Board recently discussed this and will contribute up to 50% toward the members participation but it cannot exceed a certain dollar amount. There was also discussion about not being able to contribute if the event was sponsored by Rotary. In order to expedite the weekly meetings, Cafe Spiga will begin taking orders on the sign-in sheet when members initially show up to the meeting. Dennis reminded the group about the Open Cupboard collection and was grateful for contributions made by the club over the past year. While reflecting on the prior year, members took a moment to acknowledge the great work done by Michael Burghardt as President of the Club. One suggestion to improve participation was to conduct weekday service events. This will be taken into consideration when planning events throughout the year. The next general meeting is scheduled for June 13th.
Port Jefferson Rotary Club General Meeting Michael Christian 2023-06-06 04:00:00Z 0

Port Jefferson Rotary Club
 General Meeting

Posted by Michael Christian on Apr 18, 2023
General Meeting
Meeting Minutes 4-18-2023
 
President Michael B. called meeting to order. Meeting opened with pledge of allegiance and invocation. The Most Motivated Student award was presented for the Comsewogue School District. When the presentation concluded, the club was informed by a member that a local constituent voiced a concern regarding a maintenance project at the Chandler Estate. Follow up was conducted but there is no further information about the requested project. Michael reminded the group about an upcoming Habitat for Humanity build taking place in Riverhead on Friday, April 28th. The group then discussed the planned visit from the Italian Rotary club set to occur Wednesday, May 3rd through Monday, May 8th. Members were asked to RSVP to two of the planned activities, the Jazz Loft event in Stony Brook Village and the Joint Club farewell dinner. The Gift of Life dinner is scheduled for May 10th and members are encouraged to attend. The annual Day of Service is set to occur on May 20th at the Timothy Hill Ranch in Riverhead. members will be cleaning up the campsite. The following day, May 21st, members are invited to participate in the Northwell Health Walk. The Friendship Exchange Program was promoted and members discussed the potential opportunity. On June 22nd, Judy Betts will be honored by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization at their Summer Soiree. The Judy Betts scholarship committee is set and will be meeting in the near future. Sergeant report was given and the meeting concluded with "Happy Dollars" and the weekly raffle.
Port Jefferson Rotary Club General Meeting Michael Christian 2023-04-18 04:00:00Z 0

Port Jefferson Rotary Club
 General Meeting
 

Posted by Michael Christian
General Meeting
Meeting Minutes 4-11-2023
 
President Michael B. called meeting to order. Meeting opened with pledge of allegiance and invocation. Monthly collection for Open Cupboard program acknowledged. Members donated items such as shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, etc. Michael reviewed upcoming Habitat for Humanity event scheduled for April 28th from 8:30am-2:30pm. There are about 5-6 members attending at this time. Rotary Club members from Italy are expected to be visiting Long Island from May 3rd through May 8th. Scheduled events were discussed and members were offered an invitation to attend the variance events. Michael briefly reviewed an upcoming opportunity for members travel abroad to Sweden for the Rotary Friendship Exchange Program. The annual day of service is scheduled for May 20th at Timothy Hill Ranch in Riverhead from 9am-12pm. On May 21st the Port Jefferson Rotary Club will be participating in the 2023 Northwell Health Walk in Port Jefferson. Participates are requested and volunteers are needed. The club then had a discussion on the Judi Betts Scholarship fund and a committee was established. The first meeting is TBD. Michael spoke about posting the names of the board members and informed the group that there would be a greater focus on the attendance requirement in 2023.  
Port Jefferson Rotary Club General Meeting  Michael Christian 2023-04-14 04:00:00Z 0

News of the Meeting of February 7th



 

Posted by Yvette Hohler
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President Michael B. opened today's meeting by welcoming 13 club members and guest speaker Ann Marie Hein, volunteer fundraising coordinator for Give Kids Hope.
 
Following Dennis' invocation, our President made a number of announcements.  He began by reminding us of the importance of February in the Rotary calendar: it's designated "World Understanding Month" and includes the anniversary of the 1st Rotary meeting (2/23/1905), celebrated as World Understanding and Peace Day.  We are reminded to pause, plan, and promote the 4th Avenue of Service, Rotary's continued quest for goodwill, peace, and understanding among the world's people.  This is a time to promote humanitarian service and support international projects such as the Short Term Exchange Program, which will soon involve a local student's travel abroad this summer. Michael reminded us that we've already received a District Grant (Thank You, Nancy!), helping fund activities at the Chandler Estate Park. We should now consider applying for a future Global Grant. However, this will require a member or members to attend a training seminar.  Interested?
 
Club member John Perkins has been nominated by Islip Rotary for its 2022 Community Service Award for his charity efforts. Congratulations, John!  We have been invited to attend the dinner at which John will be honored.  The event will take place at Captain Bill's Bayview House in Bay Shore on  March 24th          from 6-10 PM.  Our club will pay 1/2 the cost of attendance per Rotarian at this event (Guests of a Rotarian will pay full price).  Contact our President or Islip Rotary directly for more information.
 
Michael next reminded our members about the Hope Children's Fund's "Passion for Education Gala", which will take place on Saturday, March 11th, in the Northampton Ballroom at The Inn and Spa at East Wind in Wading River from 6-11 PM.  Our club has agreed to sponsor a table (for 10 people). This investment will include a full page club ad in the Gala Journal.  The per person cost of attendance will be $199 and will include an evening of live music by X-Session, a cocktail hour, a plated dinner, raffles, and a silent auction.  If you are interested in attending, the club will pay 1/2 the price of a ticket per Rotarian.  (All guests of Rotarians will pay full price.) This annual event, in which our club has participated since its inception, supports the education of the 90 youngsters residing in the Jerusha Mwiraria Hope Children's Home in Meru, Kenya.  RSVP's can be made to HCFgala@gmail.com  or to Hope Children's Fund, P.O. Box 1345, East Northport, NY 11731.
 
 
News of the Meeting of February 7th  Yvette Hohler 2023-02-07 05:00:00Z 0

Your OPEN CUPBOARD Donation List

Posted by Yvette Hohler on Feb 07, 2023

***NEW LIST BEGINNING Aug, 2022!***

***The following is a list of donation requests from The Open Cupboard :***:

juice boxes-

shampoo-

conditioner-

deodorant-

toothbrushes-

baby wipes-

healthy snacks-

boxed milk-

peanut butter-

jelly-

pancake mix-

syrup-

coffee-

healthy snacks-

diapers sizes 3 and 6-

***Whatever you can spare will be helpful!***

***Kindly select the item that you wish to contribute and bring it to the Collection Day Meeting.  Once a new list of donors and their matching donations is completed, it will be noted above.

***Bring contributions to Cafe Spiga on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, or give to another Club member who will be attending.

*** If you would like to be reimbursed, bring receipt(s) to the meeting.

                  ***Thanks for your community and Club support!***

Your OPEN CUPBOARD Donation List Yvette Hohler 2023-02-07 05:00:00Z 0
Thought for the week: Yvette Hohler 2023-02-07 05:00:00Z 0

Quote of the Week

Posted by Yvette Hohler on Feb 07, 2023

" I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that.  Then I realized I was somebody."

                               -Lily Tomlin

Quote of the Week Yvette Hohler 2023-02-07 05:00:00Z 0