21 organizations received funding over the past year from the Rotary Club of Philadelphia’s foundation

By Jay Pennie

Celebrating its 110th anniversary, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia continued its extensive outreach into the community by awarding grants to 21 organizations that fall within Rotary International’s areas of focus: supporting education, promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, and improving local communities.  

“It’s always inspiring for me to see how we can help the community and learn about the amazing work of these organizations. I’m always learning something new,” said Kurt Stroemel, President, Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia.    

With an initial donation of $1,000, the club’s foundation was established in 1965 by generous and visionary new club members. Today, the foundation grants about $30,000 a year to organizations in need, both locally and internationally. 

“We want to express our utmost gratitude for the grant of to support our Hungry to Healthy Initiative, which provides food to all community members who need it through our daily food pantry, monthly community meals, and senior meal service,” said David Chiles, Executive Director, Lutheran Settlement House. 

“It is because of people like you that Play On Philly! can do the work that we do for our amazing students and families,” said Jessica Zweig, Program Director who oversees high-quality, intensive music education for hundreds of underserved youth in Philadelphia.   

In the local community, the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia’s outreach efforts help to:

• Provide new instruments for the Drum Corps at Olney Charter High School.

• Purchase books for the library at the John B. Kelly Elementary School.

• Provide basketball equipment, academic supplies, program apparel, and healthy meals for the female empowerment initiative at Philadelphia Youth Basketball.

• Support the English for the Restaurant and Everyday educational program at The Garces Foundation.

• Provide vocational/technical scholarships for students in need through the Arthur Judson Education Fund which was recently established after the passing of Arthur Judson II, Past President of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. Members of the Chestnut Hill and Philadelphia clubs joined forces to establish a fund to honor him extensive work in Rotary and the community.

• Provide 50 new winter coats to impoverished children in the Philadelphia area through the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia Foundation’s Driving Away the Cold program.

• Support peace and conflict resolution programs at Peace Day Philly that focus on efforts from global issues to end wars to locally breaking down barriers between youth and police.

photo credit: Daniel Kontz, Play On Philly!

• Support teaching artists at Play On Philly! that provides high-quality music training to Philadelphia’s underserved community.

• Sustain the expansion of the string orchestra through Musicopia’s award-winning program that serves economically disadvantaged children in the local community.

• Purchase 10 Amazon Fire Tablets for Telehealth Access for Seniors, Inc.’s program so that seniors in low-income communities can connect with their physicians, families, and friends during COVID-19.

• Provide books for new library at Liguori Academy, a school that serves low-income student in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.

• Provide training for young adults with disabilities to come together, learn new skills, build community, and prepare for life after high school at Next Steps Programs, Inc.

• Support creative educational activities including science, technology, engineering, math, and art at Federation Early Learning Services.

• Provide supplies that support families who are going through the stress and trauma of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit through Today Is A Good Day’s signature program.

• Purchase food and other supplies for the Lutheran Settlement House’s Hungry to Healthy initiative.

• Provide intensive college preparation and support for low-income students through Brighter Horizon Foundation’s program.

• Provide printed educational materials for UnEarthed Penn’s program that develops, produces, and distributes free to public elementary schools in Philadelphia.

• Purchase Thanksgiving dinners for patients’ families in need at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.

• Purchase food for families in need in Philadelphia, distributed through the Rotary Club of Southwest Philadelphia-Eastwick to their community.

Rotary Club of Philadelphia members teamed up with Rotary Club of Southwest Philadelphia-Eastwick leadership and volunteers to set up, pack, and distribute food.

In the international community, outreach efforts helped to:

Support building a conduction line through Engineers Without Borders USA’s program that provides clean water to residents of Aldea Las Lagunes Cuaches, Guatemala. “This community is without safe drinking water and cases of waterborne ailments, such as diarrhea and skin illnesses are on the rise,” according to Kaitlin McGee, representative from Engineers Without Borders, Philadelphia Chapter. The conduction line is the first step in providing clean water to more than 3800 residents.  

In addition, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia members provided funding for Polio vaccines for children in Pakistan and Afghanistan where wild polio cases are still reported. This funding supports Rotary International’s campaign to eradicate the deadly and crippling disease from the planet.  

“I want to thank the board of directors of the foundation for their continued work that utilizes their knowledge of local and international matters to identify areas of need, and together work to improve the community,” said Stroemel. 

If you are a Rotarian, I hope that you are proud of the work that we do. If you are not yet a member, contact us to join.

Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia or make a donation to the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia.

Thank you Rotary Club of Philadelphia for your support and service over the past two years!

By Jay Pennie 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia for their support over the past two years. It’s been quite a journey. 

I asked for help from so many members. What is so remarkable is that not one person hesitated or said “no.” For that, I will be forever grateful.

When asked more than two years ago if I would consider serving as club President, I tried to anticipate what challenges I might face. I can tell you that I never planned on a global pandemic, economic cratering, and international social unrest. Like many people, I have concluded that the pandemic did not cause these issues. It shined a light on the problems that were already there.

As a club, undeterred by the pandemic, we transitioned quickly to virtual meetings and events. We continued with service projects in a safe and productive manner.    

Together, we actively worked on challenges in our own club. We surveyed the membership to obtain a candid opinion on the club’s strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. Our strengths and opportunities are many. But, we also needed to evaluate weaknesses and potential threats so as to better plan for the future and position ourselves to maximize our impact in the community. This led to the creation of a 3-year strategic plan.  

Together, we reinvigorated connections with our youth clubs, and established a new Interact Club at Liguori Academy. We raised funds to aid in the mission to eradicate polio, support local food banks and provide high-quality tutors for struggling readers. We donated much-needed medical supplies to a public hospital in Jamaica. Our club’s foundation, the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia, awarded nearly $60,000 in grants to 34 local and international nonprofit organizations over the past two years.   

Providing financial support for professional tutors for struggling readers.

Most remarkably, our club members contributed more than 700 volunteer hours in direct service to the community over the past two years ranging from preparing meals for people in need to cleaning and beautifying the public parks. 

Those volunteer hours do not include the hundreds of hours donated for planning and event preparation, meetings, creating a new website, designing digital billboards, creating a members-driven promotional video, launching and updating social media platforms, developing curriculum for and conducting new membership orientation sessions, and building a long-term plan. 

I’m energized by and grateful for a 30% growth in membership over the past two years! I’m looking forward to serving with our new and highly accomplished members and hearing how they want to impact our community. 

I’m thrilled and grateful that we now have new highly-qualified club presidents lined up to serve over the next three years. I’m looking forward to seeing their contributions to the club and our community! I know you will provide them with all the support they need as they lead the club in the upcoming years. 

Please view and share our video Rotary Club of Philadelphia Year In Review, 2020-21. It provides a great overview of the accomplishments of our members. Also, take a moment to thank and recognize the leadership and members who helped make this past year successful.     

My one overall goal was to have made our club stronger and a better organization than when I began. I hope you feel that together we accomplished that goal. Thank you for your support and help over the past two years. I’m honored to have served. 

Yours in Rotary service,
Jay Pennie
President, 2019-21

Vocational Career Talks Philadelphia Rotary Service Project A Great Success

An unprecedented program of virtual career presentations by Philadelphia Rotarians to high school age students at Liguori Academy in the spring of 2021 has exceeded all expectations.

Like most organizations, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia had to figure out how to adapt to changes caused by the pandemic and face the realities serving its mission. Liguori Academy is a private nonprofit high school that is committed to serving the Kensington community in Philadelphia, one of the poorest in the nation.      

Back in March, the pilot program was initiated by members Joseph Batory, Youth Service Chair, Jay Pennie, club President, and Meghan Miller, Happy Hour Chair. Volunteers were scheduled for a six-week trial run of pairs of presenters on Fridays at noon that began on April 7. The virtual sessions were coordinated at the school by Mary Theresa Martin, Workforce Development Manager. 

Martin required students to research the presenters’ backgrounds and develop meaningful questions in advance of the sessions which were designed to offer both practical professional advice and inspire the school’s seniors who attended both in-person and virtually from their homes.

Much of what the students learned is to persevere throughout the development of their careers, understand that there will be setbacks, and that it won’t always be a straight line to success. After one of the presentations Martin remarked, “Many of our students follow paths in which they might not pursue college right away so it’s helpful for them to hear from someone who found success without completing their college degree right away.”

More than enough Rotary volunteers were quickly in place representing diverse careers in medicine, hospitality, environmental protection and recycling, education, entertainment, community outreach, advertising, non-profit management, and the high tech industry. 

Abigail Appleton. Workforce Development Coordinator at Liguori Academy remarked after Ken Myers and guest Janelle Coleman’s presentation “Sometimes it is so hard to feel like your dreams will lead you to success, so that extra push may be just what our students needed to hear. Encouraging our students to figure it out later if they need to; not knowing what they want to do right now can often be stressful and the reminder that it isn’t always like that is helpful.” 

Myers, President of Coral, a company he co-founded that provides hospitality services for the entertainment industry, invited Coleman, who works at Marvel Studios to join the presentation as they worked together on many projects.  

“This has been a very meaningful service activity. It is actually a kind of “literacy project,” creating and enhancing student knowledge about the workplace and potential careers,” said Joe Batory. “We had solid involvement of club members and many more have indicated they would take part in the project next year.”

The Rotary Club of Philadelphia currently sponsors Interact Clubs at Liguori Academy and West Catholic Prep. Interact clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of service to others.

According to Batory, “Given the success we have had to date, we should replicate this service project at both schools during the 2021-22 school year.”

“Thank you so much for providing such amazing speakers to share their experiences with our students,” said Martin. “Every member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia who joined us has had such an amazing story to tell and so much wonderful advice to share with our students. We are so appreciative of all that you have done to organize this series.” 

_________________________________________________________________

Thank you to the presenters: Lisa Leonard, Voiceover artist, Lisa Leonard Help and Healing VO; Dr. Vicki Bralow, DO, Medicine, Bralow Medical Group; Roscoe Brown, High-level security services, The Axon Network; Elizabeth Cieri, Education, Foundations, Inc.; Ken Myers, hospitality, Coral with guest Janelle Coleman, Marvel Studios; Joan Batory, Education, Environmental, Philadelphia Green Task Force; Greg Bradley, Development Officer, Habitat for Humanity;  Oscar Armas-Luy, Software Management, Phenom People; Christopher Kaufer, Surgeon, retired; and guest Joseph Leiss, Nonprofit management, Boy Scouts of America. 

If you are a Rotarian, I hope that you are proud of the work that we do. If you are not yet a member, contact us to join.

Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia or make a donation to the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia.      

Philadelphia Rotarians’ response to urgent medical needs in Jamaica a huge success

By Jay Pennie

What began as Rotary Club of Philadelphia member Marva Haye’s annual trip to visit friends and relatives back in Jamaica, ended up becoming a major drive that delivered a 40-ft. trailer loaded with more than $30,000 worth of medical supplies to Savanna-La-Mar General Public Hospital.

While planning her trip to Jamaica back in January and in the midst of selling her house and moving, Haye initially started requesting supplies from members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. Then she got an idea to contact some of the Philadelphia area hospitals to see if they would be willing to help. 

After researching online and making numerous phone calls she decided to contact Main Line Health System’s President & CEO John J. Lynch III. Main Line Health is not-for-profit health system serving Philadelphia and its western suburbs and operates four acute care hospitals—Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital. To her great surprise, Lynch agreed to help in a BIG way providing everything from medical-grade masks and gloves to needles and surgical instruments. 

“I first became familiar with the dire situation after my elderly parents retired to Jamaica and had to seek emergency medical attention due to their different illnesses,” said Haye. “I soon realized that the hospital where I used to volunteer as teenager before I immigrated to Philadelphia was no longer the same!”

Marva Haye, receiving supplies during the Medical Impact Project, 2016. Marva is a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and serves as Chair of the Program Committee. 

According to Haye, although there are many hospitals, most Jamaicans cannot afford the private hospitals and costs associated with the necessary medical attention they urgently require. Public hospitals are not well supported and have lost staffing, mainly doctors and nurses, due to lack of resources. “People are literally dying outside of the public hospitals waiting for treatment for COVID-19 or other serious illnesses,” said Haye. “I had to do something to help.” 

Haye is no stranger to helping to bring medical supplies to Jamaica. Back in 2016, she worked with The World Is Our Neighborhood (TWION), an organization who provided a 40-foot container of much needed equipment like wheelchairs and stretchers to the same hospital. Since then she continues to collect and ship bedsheets, towels, washcloths, and bandages on her own. The COVID Pandemic has compounded an already bad situation.  

This drive however was not without its difficulties. There were numerous delays and setbacks due to complicated COVID travel restrictions and the difficulties dealing with customs officials in Jamaica. The delivery to the hospital finally occurred on April 28. But Haye oversaw the entire process step by step to ensure that the supplies were properly received by the hospital in need. Members of the Rotary Club of Savanna-La-Mar unloaded the truck of supplies into the hospital. 

Shortly after announcing the drive at one of the Club’s virtual meetings, members Joe and Joan Batory, Cassandra Bolding, Dr. Jeff Cabot, Meghan Miller, Jason Walker, and others from the Philadelphia community donated masks, gloves, aprons and other assorted medical supplies. Luiz dAvila, President, Rotary Club Campinas-Norte, state of São Paulo, Brazil also shipped medical supplies for the cause despite the pandemic raging then in his own country. dAvila had been joining the club’s virtial meetings periodically to connect with fellow Rotarians in the U.S. and improve his English. 

“I am so humbled and grateful for everyone’s help to make this drive so successful,” said Haye. “It should make everyone feel good in your heart to know that you have done a good deed to help people in need.” 

Marva Haye is a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and serves as Chair of the Program Committee.    

*****This is a follow up to the article posted on January 18, 2021. See it here.

28 volunteers from the Rotary Club of Philadelphia span out to three organizations in week-long service to the community

By Jay Pennie 

Celebrating both the 110th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and Rotarians at Work Day, which usually takes place the last Saturday every April, volunteers packed fresh produce for the food pantry at Lutheran Settlement House, prepared meals at the Metropolitan Area Nutritional Neighborhood Alliance (MANNA), and planted flowers and beautified the sidewalks at Wyck Historic House and Garden in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. 

“Rotary empowers you to follow your passions. If you are about a particular cause, there’s no limit to what you can do to mobilize support for that cause,” said member, Ken Myers. 

Ken Myers, Jay Pennie, Barry Kirzner, Meghan Miller at MANNA (not pictured: Greg Bradley)

“The work that we did with MANNA is a great service project and the need is there for meals for elderly people who cannot get out or because they are sick or have no family or other support. That fact that we can make meals for them really tugs at some heartstrings,“ said Meghan Miller, Chair of the Happy Hour group.

According to Myers, “But at the same time, it’s not all business, there’s a lot of fun as well. It’s a great mixture of people who socialize and come together for a common cause.” After preparing meals at MANNA on Thursday evening, members got together safely at a nearby restaurant. 

Jeff Cabot packing fresh produce at Lutheran Settlement House

Meg Finley, Senior Services and Nutrition Director of the Lutheran Settlement House, was appreciative of the support. “You all made this week run especially smoothly. I think it's safe to say that Lutheran Settlement House clients felt the extra care and love that was put into their pantry bags and during the farm stand,” said Finley.

According to member and organizer of the food pantry event, Kelly Feighan “They are such a great organization providing a vital need to the community. We will definitely be returning to volunteer here again.”      

Prepping a new garden bed for planting at Wyck: Greg Bradley (foreground); (l. to r.) Alex Snyman; Jeff Cabot; Ken Myers

Rotary Club of Philadelphia volunteers with Wyck Executive Director Kimberly Staub (far left) and Lauren Kope, Manager of Living Collections (far right)

Culminating the week of service, 16 members and their guests gathered at Wyck House and Historic Gardens on Saturday morning, planting flowers and weeding gardens and nearby sidewalk on Germantown Avenue. Wyck is a National Historic Landmark house, garden, and farm in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia that once served as the ancestral home to one Philadelphia family for nine generations (1690–1973). The rose garden dates to the 1820s and is widely recognized as the oldest rose garden in original plan in America, with 50+ cultivars of historic roses. 

Meghan Miller and Luke Dale weeding and cleaning up the tree beds along Germantown Ave.

“This is such a great service project. The staff at Wyck are so helpful and accommodating,” said Greg Bradley, member and organizer of the project. “We can’t wait to come back again soon.” 

If you are a Rotarian, I hope that you are proud of the work that we do. If you are not yet a member, contact us to join.

Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia or make a donation to the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia.   

From supplies for a food bank serving low-income families to training young adults with disabilities, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia’s outreach is a perfect way to celebrate its 110th anniversary

By Jay Pennie 

While celebrating its 110th anniversary at a recent virtual meeting, members heard from leaders of seven organizations that recently received funding from the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia. Grant recipients thanked members for their support and provided insight into their organization's use of the funding and how it benefits their community.

With an initial donation of $1,000, the club’s foundation was established in 1965 by generous and visionary new club members. Today, the foundation grants about $30,000 a year to organizations in need, both locally and internationally. While the Rotary Club of Philadelphia is well known for hands-on service projects ranging from preparing meals for people with medical conditions to purchasing and distributing books to schools in need, lesser known is the outreach work through the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia, supported and operated by members.

“We want to express our utmost gratitude for the grant of to support our Hungry to Healthy Initiative, which provides food to all community members who need it through our daily food pantry, monthly community meals, and senior meal service,” said David Chiles, Executive Director, Lutheran Settlement House. 

Another grant recipient, The Brighter Horizon Foundation, provides college preparation for low-income students. The organization works with what they call “rising scholars” to help them navigate the complicated process of college admissions to financial aid options through intense mentoring throughout their college experience including awarding scholarships. According to Alana Ward Robinson, Board Chair, “It is so critical to provide this support because they are the first in their family to attend a four-year college.” Robinson said, “Thank you so very much for your generosity and acknowledgement of the Brighter Horizon Foundation mission and accomplishments. I also enjoyed hearing the stories of the other six organizations that you recognized.  There so much for you to be proud of.”

Members also heard from Sharon Donahue, Director of Advancement, Liguori Academy, Lisa Parker, Founder, Peace Day Philly, Sarah Washerstein, Executive Director, Next Steps Program, Inc, Mark Ornstein, CEO, Federation Early Learning Services, and Martha Sharkey, Founder & CEO, Today Is A Good Day. 

“These are always my favorite meetings and is makes me so proud to be a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. It’s always inspiring for me to see how we can help the community and learn about the amazing work of these organizations. I’m always learning something new,” said Kurt Stroemel, President, Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia. 

In the local community, the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia’s outreach efforts helped to:

• Provide books for new library at Liguori Academy, a school that serves low-income student in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.

• Support peace and conflict resolution programs at Peace Day Philly that focus on efforts from global issues to end wars to locally breaking down barriers between youth and police.

• Provide training for young adults with disabilities to come together, learn new skills, build community, and prepare for life after high school at Next Steps Programs, Inc.

• Support creative educational activities including science, technology, engineering, math, and art at Federation Early Learning Services. 

• Provide supplies that support families who are going through the stress and trauma of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit through Today Is A Good Day’s signature program.  

• Food and other supplies for the Lutheran Settlement House’s Hungry to Healthy initiative. 

• Provide intensive college preparation and support for low-income students through Brighter Horizon Foundation’s program.    

Mr. Stroemel thanked the board of directors of the foundation for their continued work that utilizes their knowledge of local and international matters to identify areas of need, and together work to improve the community.

If you are a Rotarian, I hope that you are proud of the work that we do. If you are not yet a member, contact us to join.

Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia or make a donation to the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia.

Longtime Rotary Club of Philadelphia members leave a $250,000 gift for Rotary’s peace efforts around the world

By Jay Pennie

Club members Joan and Joe Batory put their money where their hearts are — in peace-building. 

Joan and Joe Batory receiving commemorative book in recognition of their combined 58 years of service to Rotary (2019)

The bequest was announced at a recent Rotary Club of Philadelphia virtual meeting by Dawn deFuria, Rotary International District Foundation Chair, and her husband, Russ deFuria, Regional Foundation Coordinator. “This is such a remarkable gift for Rotary’s efforts to promote peace around the world,” said Dawn deFuria. “Russ and I have known Joe and Joan for many years and have served together in various Rotary roles and activities, making this gift even more meaningful to us.”  

Once realized, each year a world-competitive selection process will take place and a Joan and Joseph P. Batory Endowed Certificate Fellow will be identified. “The bequest will provide ample funding for one Rotary Peace Fellowship Certificate winner in perpetuity,” said Russ deFuria. “It will also place Joe and Joan in the Arch Klumph Society posthumously.” The high honor is in recognition of Klumph, who started the Rotary Foundation in 1928 with an initial contribution of $26.50. In 2018, the Foundation issued more than $86 million for grant projects around the world, which along with peace-building encompassed supporting education, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, and growing local economies.

“For what could be more important in our turbulent and dangerous world than providing expertise and insights to those who wish to dedicate their lives and careers to violence prevention, mediation, compromise and peace-building.”

— Joe Batory

Rotary International awards up to 130 fully-funded fellowships annually for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of their peace centers. Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Centers program develops the capacity of peace and development professionals or practitioners to become experienced and effective catalysts for peace. The fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses.

“Joan and I believe that the Peace Fellowship program has become a flagship for Rotary International,” according to Joe Batory. “For what could be more important in our turbulent and dangerous world than providing expertise and insights to those who wish to dedicate their lives and careers to violence prevention, mediation, compromise and peace-building.”

Rotary Bequest Society Level 5 award pins.

Joe and Joan are no strangers to supporting Rotary’s causes in Philadelphia and around the world. Joan served in numerous roles including Rotary International District 7450 Governor encompassing 50 clubs in Southeastern Pennsylvania and as the first female President of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. In addition to serving as club President, Joe has successfully advanced four Peace Fellows  — two Lieutenants from the Philadelphia Police Department and two Philadelphia Assistant District Attorneys — who studied violence prevention, peace building, mediation and compromise in Rotary’s intensive three-month professional certificate program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.   

“Almost  all of those who have completed Rotary’s Peace Fellowship programs are now in key leadership positions worldwide, applying what they have learned practically to  real world situations, “ said Joe Batory. “This will be a living legacy for us…and a very meaningful one.”

They have also supported scholarly and academic pursuits and have mentored 23 Rotary Scholars from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Korea.  “It has been tremendously rewarding to our hearts to give something back. We continue to have close relationships with the scholars and their families.”   

Dan King, Rotary Club of Philadelphia’s Foundation Chair, who led the meeting, also recognized Joe Batory as a Paul Harris Fellow +4. Named after the founder of Rotary, this is an honor given to those who currently contribute to the Foundation at $1,000 or more.   

A ceremony is being planned to be held in the coming months recognizing major donors in the Philadelphia area. 

Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. 

Learn how you can transform your gift into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Visit The Rotary Foundation. 

The World Is Our Neighborhood: Urgent Medical Needs in Jamaica

By Marva Haye

Volunteers from The World Is Our Neighborhood (TWION), 2016

Since becoming independent from the British back in 1962, the situation in Jamaica has declined in many ways but recently became progressively worse — especially where it matters most, like having good medical care and fully functional hospitals.

I first became familiar with the dire situation after my elderly parents returned and retired to Jamaica and had to seek emergency medical attention due to their different illnesses. I soon realized that the hospital where I used to volunteer as a candy stripper as a child before I immigrated to Philadelphia was no longer the same!

Some say the decline is due to government corruption, mismanagement of funds and/or growing pains. Hospitals have lost staffing, mainly doctors and nurses, due to lack of resources. Whatever the reasons are, my  concern is for the people, because they the ones that are suffering and the need help!

There seem to be private hospitals popping up all over the country but most people in Jamaica cannot afford the private hospitals and costs associated with the necessary medical attention they need and in some cases urgently require.

Since becoming aware of the dire situation and lives being loss due to the lack of medical care I feel compelled to help in some small way. I have had help from one organization, The World Is Our Neighborhood (TWION), who provided a 40-foot container of much needed equipment like wheelchairs and stretchers which was well received by the hospital and the community.

Since then I continue to collect and ship barrels of items like white bedsheets, towels, washcloths, and bandages. The COVID Pandemic has compounded an already bad situation. As I have a planned trip coming very soon, I am collecting masks, disposable aprons, gloves or anything else one would like to donate to the cause. Collected medical items will be donated to the Savanah-La-Mar Public General Hospital, Westmoreland, Jamaica. 

Please let me know if you have anything you would like to donate. If there is a large item, I would be happy to pick up.

Thanks much for your usual kind attention to this matter, it is greatly appreciated!

Marva Haye, receiving supplies during the Medical Impact Project, 2016. Marva is a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and serves as Chair of the Program Committee. 

Donations deadline is February 6, 2021. To donate items, contact Marva Haye at: marvanegril@aol.com

Leadership matters: Lynmar Brock, Jr., a titan in Rotary, passes away

By Jay Pennie

When I recently Googled the word leadership, I received 2.8 BILLION results! Tens of thousands of books, videos, seminars have been created on this topic. Thousands of “experts” write, speak, and frankly make a good living touting the “secrets” of great leadership. However, with all of this collective knowledge, why does great leadership still seem so elusive? 

I’m not an expert on great leadership. But I believe I know a great leader when I see one. I’ll mention one: Lynmar Brock, Jr.   

Lynmar receiving ‘Service Above Self’ Lifetime Achievement award at The Union League of Philadelphia in 2015.

I first met Lynmar about twenty years ago while I was a director at the Academy of Natural Sciences. We hired his company, Brock and Company, Inc., to provide food service for the museum’s guests. We were looking for a company large enough to handle our needs and provide great customer service, but still family-owned. Lynmar, along with his son Andrew, visited the museum many times to make sure everything was going well. He impressed me from the first day that we met. He was always friendly and wore a great smile. He genuinely loved people. 

About ten years later we met again — this time by chance — at a cultivation event that I had helped organize when I was president of an art school in Philadelphia. I came to learn that Lynmar was a great lover of the arts and was a vital supporter of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Pennsylvania Ballet. 

Afterward he asked, if I had ever considered joining Rotary and would I come to a meeting. In my head I was thinking, “What is Rotary?” What came out of my mouth was, “Sure, I’ll come to a meeting.” He explained that Rotary International is one of the largest volunteer humanitarian organizations in the world with 1.2 million members, 35,000 clubs, and 16 million volunteers in 200 countries. His proposal came along at the right time in my life because I was looking for volunteer and networking opportunities.   

A few weeks later, I joined a few of the meetings held at The Union League of Philadelphia. What impressed me most about that first lunch meeting still stands today. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia members were smart, accomplished, generous, and friendly. A few months later, I joined. Lynmar conducted the ceremony in August 2010 and inducted me along with fellow Rotarian and now long-time club Treasurer, Dave Gill. Lynmar’s induction ceremonies were funny and memorable. 

What I did not fully understand at the time was that Lynmar was a great leader in Rotary, in business, in the military, in the community, and in life. 

In Rotary, he served as President of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia (1974-75), District Governor (1978-79), and Director for Rotary International (1992-94). During those years, he mentored many members who went on to become leaders in Rotary International. He went on many humanitarian missions including distributing polio vaccines in India and Madagascar. He served as Chair of the Rotary International Committee for Afghan Refugees that helped relocate 50,000 in Pakistan. He served while balancing time from family and running his family business.  

Earlier in his life, as a Naval Officer, he served in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and at the Pentagon’s Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He was later reassigned to the destroyer USS McNair during the Bay of Pigs operation. He eventually left active duty as Lieutenant but continued in the naval reserves. He left the Navy after his father, Lynmar Brock Sr. became ill, to take over the company as CEO. 

At the Rotary Club of Philadelphia meetings, he always greeted everyone with a warm smile. At those same meetings, I came to learn about his Quaker background which no doubt contributed to his humble demeanor. He never had an unkind word to say about anyone. 

At every meeting, he introduced members to his wife, Brussels-born Claudie, who was always by his side. It was clear to everyone how proud he was of his wife and still in love with her after more than five decades of marriage. Lynmar also wrote four historical novels, one of which, In This Hospitable Land, is a fictionalized version of his wife’s true story surviving the Holocaust in the South of France. He was especially proud that the book was chosen for publication by Amazon’s Lake Union Publishing and was an award-winning finalist for Amazon’s Fiction: Historical category of the 2012 International Book Awards list.

Lynmar and Claudie loved to travel, often to the most exotic places around the world. Among those places, they traveled several times to the Khyber Pass and along the Afghan border in Baluchistan west of Quetta. He often spoke at meetings about his adventures and how he learned first-hand about the rich cultures around the world and the challenges the people were experiencing. 

Claudie and Lynmar Brock, Jr.

Several years ago, I began to notice that he was not attending meetings as much as he once did. Eventually, Lynmar left the Rotary Club Philadelphia to join a club closer to his home in the Chester County area to avoid the travel to Center City Philadelphia. During those years, everyone missed his warm smile, his funny stories, his wife Claudie, his service to others, and his presence at meetings. Sadly, we also came to learn that he had become afflicted with dementia over the past few years.  

Nine years after Lynmar asked me to join Rotary, I was appointed as the 109th President of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. Thank you Lynmar for your leadership. So many people have benefited from your kindness, generosity, and help. I would not have had this opportunity to serve without your efforts and guidance. 

Rotary’s motto is “Service above self.” Lynmar lived that motto in all aspects of his life.   

So, what makes for a great leader? I’m sorry to say, but I’m still not really sure. But, I know one when I see one. His name is Lynmar Brock, Jr. 

Gifts in his memory can be made online to The Rotary Foundation or mail to: The Rotary Foundation, 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693.

Read Lynmar Brock Jr.’s obituary here.

From clean water for Guatemala’s residents to winter coats for impoverished children in Philadelphia, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia’s outreach was on full display at virtual meeting

By Jay Pennie  

Our members recently heard from leaders of seven organizations that received funding from the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia. Grant recipients thanked members for their support and provided insight into their organization's use of the funding and how it benefits their community. 

Established years ago by generous and visionary club members, the foundation grants approximately $30,000 each year to organizations in need, both locally and internationally. While the Rotary Club of Philadelphia is known for hands-on service projects from preparing meals for people with medical conditions to purchasing and distributing books to schools in need, lesser known is the outreach work through the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia, supported and operated by members. 

“It is because of people like you that Play On Philly! can do the work that we do for our amazing students and families,” said Jessica Zweig, Program Director who oversees high-quality, intensive music education for hundreds of underserved youth in Philadelphia.   

photo credit: Daniel Kontz, Play On Philly!

Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia (ADAGP) Foundation’s Driving Away the Cold program distributes around 53,000 coats yearly. “This is not a typical coat drive. We purchase and distribute brand new winter coats to impoverished children in the five-county Philadelphia area,” explained program manager Mary Lynn Alverino.   

Members also heard from: Lisa Parker, Founder, Peace Day Philly; Riya Mitra, PA Representative, Telehealth Access for Seniors, Inc.; Catherine Charlton, Executive Director, Musicopia; Kaitlin McGee, Engineers Without Borders, USA; and Andrew Noh, V.P. Finance and Ryan Foo, President, UnEarthed Penn.   

“These meetings are so gratifying to me knowing we are helping so many other great organizations that are helping people in the community, both locally and internationally,” said Kurt Stroemel, President of the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia. “I’m also so impressed with the young people who are involved with founding a nonprofit who are often helping other young people in need.” 

Riya Mitra, a high school student and volunteer at Telehealth Access for Seniors, Inc. explained how important devises are for low-income seniors, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. “This grant will benefit hundreds of low-income veteran patients in the VA Healthcare system who cannot afford smart devises to communicate to their families and physicians.”    

In the local community, the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia’s outreach efforts help to:

Provide 50 new winter coats to impoverished children in the Philadelphia area through the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia Foundation’s Driving Away the Cold program.

Support peace and conflict resolution programs at Peace Day Philly that focus on efforts from global issues to end wars to locally breaking down barriers between youth and police.

Support teaching artists at Play On Philly! that provides high-quality music training to Philadelphia’s underserved community.

Sustain the expansion of the string orchestra through Musicopia’s award-winning program that serves economically disadvantaged children in the local community.   

Purchase 10 Amazon Fire Tablets for Telehealth Access for Seniors, Inc.’s program so that seniors in low-income communities can connect with their physicians, families, and friends during COVID-19.

Provide printed educational materials for UnEarthed Penn’s program that develops, produces, and distributes free to public elementary schools in Philadelphia.  

In the international community, outreach efforts helped to:

Support building a conduction line through Engineers Without Borders USA’s program that provides clean water to residents of Aldea Las Lagunes Cuaches, Guatemala. “This community is without safe drinking water and cases of waterborne ailments, such as diarrhea and skin illnesses are on the rise,” according to Kaitlin McGee, representative from Engineers Without Borders, Philadelphia Chapter. The conduction line is the first step in providing clean water to more than 3800 residents.  

Mr. Stroemel thanked the board of directors of the foundation for their continued work that utilizes their knowledge of local and international matters to identify areas of need, and together work to improve the community.

If you are a Rotarian, I hope that you are proud of the work that we do. If you are not yet a member, contact us to join.

Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia or make a donation to the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia.