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Welcome to Collegeville Rotary Club

Stories

Halloween Parade 2021:  A Big Success!!!
 
Joel Stever of the Daily Bread Community Food Pantry and Kathy Kernen of Collegeville Economic Development Center helped us to kick off the Collegeville Rotary Halloween Parade today.  It was a perfect fall evening for ghouls and goblins of all ages to come out to scare and to collect a loot of candy.  
 
 
A great big thanks goes out to all the volunteer helpers before, during and after the event.  A great big shout out goes to Mary Cook and Pat Keeny for doing the heavy lifting with organizing the event.  
 
Please plan to join us again next year when it will be even bigger and better.... Save the date.  It is the last Wednesday prior to Halloween ( Wed 10/26/2022).
 
Member Spotlight:  Mary & Doug Cook
Mary & Doug Cook have been a powerful force in Rotary in Maine and in our community.  They have held an innumerable positions at the Club and District levels.  They continue to actively server the club today.  They have also hosted nearly 20 international students over the years through the Rotary Youth Exchange program.  Catie Mannato wrote a wonderful brief about them in September issue of Upper Providence Living magazine.
 
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Collegeville Rotary: An Introduction
Our club has started a new year with a new board.  See the article published in the Upper Providence Living magazine in August 2021.  Thank you Jennifer Hetrick for writing this article.
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A CommUNITY Dialog: Initial Conversation abour RACE
 
It is Collegeville Rotary Club’s distinct honor to welcome and warmly invite you to a special evening to benefit all. 

On Wednesday, July 8 at 6:15pm we will host a “CommUNITY Conversation:  An Initial Dialogue about Race” via Zoom
We have planned a one hour gathering to have dialogue, exchange perspectives, as well as reflect on a presentation by comedian and cultural critic Baratunde Thurston, called “Deconstructing Racism One Headline at a Time.”
The evening will be hosted by Collegeville Mayor, Aidsand Wright-Riggins along with some of his Rotarian peers.
We truly hope you will join us and invite others to do so as well. This event is meant to start a dialogue on a topic that is relevant to all of us as citizens, neighbors, and as members of a community.
If you have any questions, please direct them to President-Elect, Denise Wiggins at:  ewigg5@verizon.net
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Turkey Trot 5K (2019)
WOW!!! What a Great Success
 

Our club set out to attract 100 runners/walkers this year to our second annual Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk to raise funds for the Daily Bread Community Food Pantry (dailybreadcommunityfoodpantry.org). 

Our community didn't disappoint us.  They came out in force to support this initiative as well as to have fun.  We had 242 runners/walkers of all ages and abilities participate and made this a grand success.  We couldn't have asked for more.  Even mother nature cooperated and gave us a perfect day.

 
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63rd. Halloween Parade ... Bigger than ever

We did it again...

This is the 63rd year our club has hosted the Halloween Parade.  It was bigger and better than ever.  Thousands of gules and goblins came out to enjoy the great fun.  Please plan to attend again next year on the last Wednesday prior to Halloween ( Oct 28, 2020).  Here are some reflections from one of our new members, Denise Wiggins who attended the parade for the first time:
 
"Albeit, it was my first time attending and participating as a costume judge, I am rooted in community, no matter where you find it, and I loved every minute of it. I am a proud Rotarian and assisting with this community event brought so many smiles, laughter and hugs. I watched community leaders fall into step and give their time, resources and assistance to make the parade extra special, safe and fun! The community showed up in fabulous Halloween fashion, both as parade participants (floats, bands, dancers, costume walkers, fire trucks, etc.) and lining the streets to cheer and receive the main prize of the parade ... lots of candy! Kids and adults alike were joyous, respectful and happy."
 
Click here to enjoy the photos taken by Sarah Calvin of Sarah Calvin Photography.  Thanks Sarah.
 
Rotaplast Mission in Guatemala City
Posted by Joy Miksic

A strength of Rotary is its worldwide reach, giving Rotarians many opportunities to serve in locations all around the world.  Because of the broad reach of Rotary, it is able to provide resources at both the local and at the international level. 
One of these opportunities is the Rotaplast program. Undertaken by Rotary in 1992 this medical mission has served in Guatemala, Myanmar, Columbia, India, Bangladesh and many other countries.  This year, one of our Collegeville members, and 8 of our District members were fortunate to serve as non-medical support in that program.  Our District, 7430, raised the $100,000 needed to enable Rotary to host this Guatemala Medical Mission for children and young adults who suffer from cleft palate and/or cleft lip.
 
 
The Mission ran from Sept 2nd for 10 days.  It included 7 days of surgeries and a day of follow up.  Families stood in line for hours with hope that their child could be a part of the program.  Many of the children had no prior surgery, which means that they could not eat or communicate properly, and were likely to be shunned by their community.  Many can’t attend school due to their incapacity to speak.   
The Rotaplast medical team was able to serve 113 patients, doing surgeries ranging from lip repair to bone grafts to closing the gap in the roof of the mouth.  It was truly amazing to see the love and care that was given to these very special children.  Every child went home with a bigger smile.
Meet the new club leadership 2019-20

Looking forward to a Successful Year

Following the age old tradition, July 1, marks the start of a new year of service for the Rotary clubs all over the world. 
 
Our Collegeville club is starting the new year with Ravi Kurumety as the president of the club.  The club is in great hands with a strong leadership team to continue our 70 years of service heritage.
 
Left to Right:  Sodiah Thomas, Karen McCaslin, Jim Sacks, Doug Cook, Ravi Kurumety, Joy Miksic, Mark Million, Eileen Million, David Ofori. 
 
World Environment Day - June 5, 2019

Ganesh's Green Army

World Environment Day movement started more than 40 years ago.  The annual day of action embraces smaller and less-developed nations while tackling even bigger topics: from sustainable consumption to the illegal trade in wildlife.  Since its beginning in 1974, World Environment Day has developed into a global platform for raising awareness and taking action on urgent issues from marine pollution and global warming to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. Millions of people have taken part over the years, helping drive change in our consumption habits as well as in national and international environmental policy.
 
This year Ganesh Balaga, a friend of our club, created a "Green Army" in his hometown in India.  Ganesh enlisted his friends and local children to plant trees in the community to help the air quality.  
 
About Ganesh:
We were fortunate to have met Ganesh in Vizianagaram India during our club's visit to India in Jan 2017.  He is a teacher at a small one room school (MPP Primary School) with 19 students in grades 1 through 5.  Ganesh teaches all 5 of these grades single handedly.  He has been partnering with us to execute a range of projects from planting trees to renovating the school.  Ganesh continues to inspire his students with extracurricular activities to teach them good moral values and involves them in activities to develop as great citizens in the community.
 
 
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Congratulations to the Collegeville Fire Company

Members of the Collegeville Rotary Club would like to congratulate the dedicated men and women of the Collegeville Fire Company on their newly built firehouse.  This has taken many years of effort and is finally completed.  This new firehouse is a tremendous asset to the community and serves to ensure the safety of the citizens of this community.

An open house was held on Saturday, June 1, 2019 to allow the community members to visit the new firehouse.   Several Rotarians from our club lent a helping hand at the new building dedication celebration.  You can see photos and read more about the event at: 
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Vince Raffeo: Collegeville History Through his eyes

Meet Vince Raffeo and learn about the history of Collegeville. He has one simple message to share in his 87 years: Be kind to one another, both strangers and friends.
Vince is featured on the May 2019 cover of Upper Providence Living Magazine.  Thank you Julie Kovaleski (jkovaleski@bestversionmedia.com) for publishing this article.
 
Vince has been an active member of this club for 59 years (since 1960) and continues to actively serve our community.
 
Getting Dirty For the Environment...
 
April 6, 2019:  On this fine Saturday, the stream cleanup on Perkiomen Creek in Collegeville was a great success.  Eleven volunteers, which included Rotarians, Ursinus Rotaractors and friends of Rotary, collected 17 bags of trash, 13 tires and large debris such as inflatable rafts, tarps, rugs and construction material.  This was part of a larger annual effort which included approximately 1,200 people in 80 sites across the Perkiomen Watershed.
 
Another Successful Pancake Breakfast !!!
 
March 17, 2019: Rotary Club of Collegeville held its annual Pancake Breakfast event to bring the community together to have loads of fun and to raise money for the The Daily Bread Community Food Pantry.
 
Hundreds of families, kids and individuals joined on Sunday to enjoy St. Patrick's Day  with us and to make this another successful event.  We would like to thank the numerous volunteers from the community and our club without whom this event would not have been possible.
 
We are humbled by the work the Steevers family and volunteers of the food pantry do, and extend our gratitude and support for taking on this role. 
To find our more or to volunteer please visit their web site at:  http://dailybreadcommunityfoodpantry.org/
OUR FIRST TURKEY DINNER TROT 5K ... LOADS OF FUN!
OUR FIRST TURKEY DINNER TROT 5K ... LOADS OF FUN!
Saturday, Nov 17,2018:  Rotary Club of Collegeville held its first inaugural 5k to raise funding for Turkey Dinners was  a great success.  We had a warm sunny fall day with more than 40 runners participating.  We were able to raise funds while having lots of fun.  We received generous donations to provide Thanks giving dinners for more than 40 local area families in need through The Daily Bread Community Food Pantry.
Photos of the fun:    Click here for the photos
Finish line photos:  Click here for the photos
 
Save the date for next year:  Sat 11/23/19
 
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Halloween Parade 2018
Rotary Club of Collegeville hosted the 62nd annual parade to bring the community together to celebrate Halloween.  We had thousands of people participate in their costumes.  There was fun for all ages.  There were also many pets and groups dressed in their favorite scary or fun costumes.
 
Click here for photos:  Halloween Parade 2018 Photos.
Click here for parade video: Halloween Parade 2018 Video.
Annual Golf Tournament - Mon July 9, 2018
Here is an opportunity to enjoy the exclusive Bellwood Country Club and help the environment.  Collegeville Rotary Club is partnering with the Perkiomen Valley Watershed Conservancy to make this wonderful opportunity available to you.
 
Please also consider one of the many sponsorship options to benefit our community and the environment. 
The event is on Monday July 9, 2018 at Bellwood Country Club in Pottstown, PA
 
or contact: Mark Million at     mam1102@aol.com    610-630-4633

PV Watershed Clean Up
Several members of our club along with two students from PV High School Interact Club spent several hours on Saturday morning removing hundreds of pounds of trash and more than a dozen tires and other large items from a field alongside the creek near First Avenue across from Kimberton Whole Foods store.  Thanks for all that participated.
 

4 Way Speech Contest 2018

Our club level speech contest was held on March 11, 2018.  The first place winner will be going on to the regional competition on April 14, 2018.

Ashley Liu of Methacton High School has won first place at our annual speech contest with a gripping speech about over emphasis on class ranking during high school.  Erin Quinn of Perkiomen Valley High School was awarded second place.

Annual Pancake Breakfast Held on 3/18/18
We have been hosting a Pancake Breakfast in the Collegeville/Trappe community for nearly 60 years.  This year again was a grand success.  The money we raised today will be a used to help The Daily Bread Food Pantry in their mission to help the people in need in our community.  We had nearly 400 people join us for great food and fun.  There were many familiar faces as well as many new faces. 
 
We would like to thank all the people that attended to make this successful.  This event could not be possible if were not for the effort of the many volunteers especially from the Central Perkiomen Valley Rotary Club and Perkiomen Valley High School Interact Club.  Thank you all for your eager help.  Special thanks goes to our own Joy Miksic for coordinating the whole event. We would also like to thank Bob Imperial for hosting the event at his facility in Trappe, PA
 

 Collegeville's 61st Annual Halloween Parade, Oct 25, 2017
Join the Rotary once again on Collegeville's Main Street to mark the 61st year for the parade.  Parade starts at Dusk.  Pre-parade activities start at 5PM.  Costume judging starts at 6 PM
 
There is no need to register for costume judging or the parade - just bring your costumed children (or pet), and meet in the parking lot behind the AmeriGreen Gas Station and Chow Bistro (454 E. Main) at 6 pm.  This year the Rotary is expanding the Halloween dress up contest beyond dogs to all pets.  Judging is from 6 to 6:25 p.m. in the parking lot.  The parade begins its walk down Main St. at 6:30 p.m.
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Wednesdays at 7:00 PM
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Collegeville, PA 19426
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(484) 994-9508
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CollegevilleRotary@gmail.com
Week 1 - No Meeting; Weeks 2 & 3 - Meeting via Zoom; Week 4 - Social event at local restaurant; Week 5 (Quarterly) - Community Connections
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