Rotary Archives for 2009

First Rotary Polar Plunge is Great Success Event Raises over $10,000 for Cornea Transplants   Our brave souls 'plunging' into the freezing Atlantic Our fearless leaders, Traudy and Jeff, running for warmth.    How does Rotary Eye Care work?  Here's a heart warming story that will explain. Noor Al-Ithawi is a 5 year old girl fromBu’yatha,Iraq, a small village just south of Baghdad.  Noor has been blind from birth with Peter’s Anomaly which scars the cornea creating a glaucoma-like condition.  During the conflict in Iraq, her father and other family members joined U.S. forces in defending her small village against insurgents.  When 1st Lieutenant Michael Kendrick learned that Noor had been blind since birth he decided to help.  Lt. Kendrick contacted organizations in the U.S. to help arrange for her cornea transplant surgery.  Tissue Banks international (TBI) was proud to offer the tissue for Noor's transplant with no associated fees.  Through Rotary Eye Rescue her cornea was sponsored by the Asbury Park Rotary Club.  On June 2, 2008, Noor was operated on at the University of Rochester Eye Institute resulting in sight being restored to her left eye.

Rotary Gives the Gift of Sight Asbury Park Rotary Club has pledged support to the Rotary Eye Rescue Project championed by our own Traudy Grande officially launching Rotary Eye Rescue East.  Rotary Eye Rescue is a collaboration between Rotary Clubs, Tissue Banks International (TBI) and surgeons, who team up to provide cornea transplants to indigent patients in medically underserved countries with no cost to the recipient.   Traudy joined our club because she was impressed by the generosity of California Rotarians in funding the Rotary Eye Rescue West. Traudy's husband John is on the board of the Tissue Banks Inter-national and donates much time to the cause.  Our club is proud to be part of this effort.    Pictured are Tom Price and Sandy Brown officially presenting a $2,000 donation to John And Traudy Grande thus starting Rotary Eye Rescue East.

Rotary in the News   Charitable Foundation Helps Rotary Provide Scholarships The Investors Savings Bank Foundation, which provides grant funding to non-profit programs that enhance and enrich the communities the bank serves, is supporting the efforts of the Rotary Club of Asbury Park to award college scholarships to high school students in the region. l to r:  Victoria Magliacane, Investors Savings Regional VP, Penny McDaniel, Branch Manager of Deal Office, Kevin Cummings, President and CEO of Investors Savings Bank, and Matt Taylor, President of Asbury Park Rotary, receiving the $5,000 check.  The Rotary Club of Asbury Park, established in 1919, supports a wide variety of worthwhile causes in its district. These efforts include the distribution of partial college scholarships to local high school students identified for their academic achievements, commitment to community service, and other outstanding merits. The Foundation's $5,000 grant will be earmarked toward this program. “The Rotary Club of Asbury Park is committed to investing in tomorrow's leaders — the hard-working students in our school district,” said Matthew Taylor, the Club's president. “We are enormously grateful for the generous support of the Investors Savings Bank Foundation in making these scholarships possible.” “We applaud the Rotary Club's commitment to provide deserving students with opportunities that will further their academic and career goals,” said Investors Savings Bank President and CEO Kevin Cummings, who formally presented the grant award at the Rotary Club's November 18 luncheon. Brendan Middleton • Reader Submitted •  Asbury Park Press

Candidate For Governor Speaks To Club Congratulations to our new Governor   Chris Christie, the republican candidate for Governor, visited our lunch meeting on July 8 and shared his plans for enticing clean energy companies to come to NJ and build their businesses here.  With an audience of about 80 rotarians and guests, Mr Christie was warmly welcomed. After speaking Adam Puharic thanked Mr Christie for coming and offerred our usual Polar Plunge t-shirt and Rotary coffee mug. We hope he returns should he win the Gubintorial race.  Thanks to Tom Gilmour for securing Mr Christie's visit with us.

Wine Tasting Dinner a Huge Success Our 6th Annual Wine Tasting Dinner which was held on May 22nd at the Renaissance was a tremendous success.  Even in these poor economic times, we raised almost $8,000 to enable the Francis Asbury Manor nursing home to purchase a much needed entertainment system.  Francis Asbury Manor is a non-profit elder care facility that accepts people of all faiths regardless of their ability to pay.  Our project to provide a state-of-the-art entertainment system will benefit all the residents at the Manor.

Darrell's daughter Devon                  
made a visit to our lunch
on July 15th.  Many don't
know but Darrell and
Brookman have four
daughters and a son.