Welcome to our Club!

Service Above Self/WGSD!

We meet In Person & Online

Wednesdays at 6:00 PM

Yiasou Cafe' (You can also access in-person meetings via Zoom))

1980 State Route 52
Liberty, NY 12754
United States of America

If you can't make it to the in-person meeting, contact a member for the Zoom link.

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District Site

Venue Map

45th Annual WSUL Heart-A-Thon

The 45th Annual 98.3 WSUL Heart-A-Thon is coming soon!

The beat goes on in the Prevention, Education, and Treatment of Heart Disease in Sullivan County. With the help of hundreds of organizations, businesses and individuals throughout the Sullivan Catskills the 98.3 WSUL Heart-A-Thon has raised over $3 million toward the treatment of heart disease locally. The 98.3 WSUL Heart-A-Thon will celebrate its 45th year on Friday, February 17, 2023, from 6A-6P at Resorts World Catskills Epicenter and broadcast live on 98.3 WSUL. They will be expanding the beneficiaries to focus on Prevention, Education, and Treatment of Heart Disease in Sullivan County. This year proceeds will benefit a Treadmill for the Cardiac Rehab and some portable Cardiac Monitors, both for the Garnet Medical Center Catskills Campus; The Warrior Teens Program and an Outdoor Fitness Pad in Monticello with Sullivan 180, A Single Bite’s Real Food School Education Program, and Building Sullivan’s Healthcare Workforce Scholarships with SUNY Sullivan.

100% of the funds raised stay right here in the Sullivan Catskills.

Here’s how you can help:

CLICK HERE to donate online via credit/debit card

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Make an appointment to give blood.

Blood donations are needed now more than ever. The Rotary Clubs of Monticello, Liberty, and Livingston Manor will be holding a Blood Drive in conjunction with NYBC (New York Blood Center) as part of the 45th Annual WSUL Heart-a-thon on Friday, February 17, 2023 from Noon until 6pm at the Epicenter at Resorts World in Monticello who has graciously sponsored this event.

You can register to donate at this link:

https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/303543

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Purchase dinner. A great meal at a great price for a great cause!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD IS WEAR RED DAY
to show support for the awareness of heart disease

PLEASE put on some RED and...
Find it in your heart (pun intended) to make a donation or pledge to this year’s
45th Annual 98.3 WSUL Heart-A-Thon

CLICK HERE to donate

Join us for a Heart-A-Thon Happy Hour!

Liberty Rotary Club's Annual Winter Raffle

If purchasing via VENMO, please place "Raffle Ticket" and the Rotarian Name in the Note section.

A Review of the Year in Pictures

So much of what Liberty Rotary Club does, is not easily shown in photos. The group has made a plethora of donations to worthy causes, and members volunteer all over our county and world to improve the lives of others. Fortunately, there is photographic evidence of a number of this year's initiatives and events. The link below is a slideshow of pictures of many of our members doing good in the world and sharing the camaraderie that makes our club so vibrant.

These photos were collected throughout the 2022 calendar year from January through December and presented in no particular order. (A Rotary year begins in July)

Click this Link: Liberty Rotary 2022 - A Year in Pictures

70 Years of Making The World A Better Place

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

At this season of giving, please consider including us in your charitable donations,

so we can continue to support local, regional, national and international programs

making the world a better place.

Dollars and Coins Add Up to a Charitable Day

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community members, our latest Dollar and Coin Drop yielded over $1,000. The funds gathered will support many Liberty Rotary Club Programs and contributions including assisting those in need of healthy meals. Thank you to all our members that braved the chilly temperature to make this event a success. Our deepest appreciation to all that stopped to help those in need by dropping their coins and cash into our buckets.

Liberty Rotary Continues to Serve Community Dinners

The Liberty Rotary Club has a long history of purchasing, preparing and serving dinners, multiple times yearly, at the Interfaith Food Pantry. The past meal on 12/14 was well attended, and those that gathered enjoyed generous helpings of ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, salad and chocolate cake. Thank you to the club members that gave their time to assure this meal was ready and served on time. Special thanks to our friend Bucky who provided the hams in memory of Dave Thomson, who was a friend to all and a regular server at past dinners.

Thank you to the Dave Thomson SBWT Sponsors

Thank you to the generous sponsors of this year's Dave Thomson Spirit, Beer and Wine Tasting!

Dave Thomson Spirit, Beer and Wine Tasting

This year's Dave Thomson Spirit, Beer and Wine Tasting was a tremendous success. Our generous sponsors, donors and attendees helped our organization to raise over $19,000 to assist "A Single Bite" and the Liberty Rotary Club Scholarship Fund. Our musical guests William's Honor were superb, delivering a mix of pop, rock and country music that had the crowd singing along and dancing. The selection of wines, spirits, ciders and potent potables was exceptional, offering a selection that appeals to almost any palate. The atmosphere was jubilant as our many attendees enjoyed a tremendous variety of foods from Piccolo Paese's Chef Baco as well as an abundance of tasty dishes created by members and their families.

Thank you to all our sponsors, guests, attendees and everyone that helped to make this outstanding evening have so much positive impact.

Liberty Rotary Club Walks Against Alheimer's

Several members of the Liberty Rotary Club traveled to Montgomery on October 22nd for the Sullivan/Orange Walk to End Alzheimer’s. It was a wonderful event for a great cause! The Liberty club raised over $1,000 to benefit The Alzheimer's Association and was honored to be part of a crowd of over 500 people that took a stand against this horrific disease.

The flowers of different colors represent the different ways in which individuals are affected by Alzheimer's devastating impact. After the walk, the flowers are all arranged in a garden of hope, which represents the aspiration that a prevention or cure will soon be found.

Special thanks to all those who donated to the cause, the walkers and everyone that made this event so meaningful.

Team Liberty Rotary

Many Rotary Clubs from around the region participated in the event.

LRC Seeking Donations for Puerto Rico

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

On September 18th, Hurricane Fiona devastated the island of Puerto Rico with high winds and torrential rains of 20-30 inches resulting in power outages, severe flooding, mud slides, and roads being washed out. Our network of Rotary leaders in Puerto Rico and humanitarians are assessing the situation regarding the storm and we will be actively working on a response.

Through the Liberty NY Rotary Club Foundation Fund at CFOS, donations are being securely collected and distributed directly to assist the people of Puerto Rico during this frightening time. Please consider donating to our fellow citizens, brothers and sisters – no donation is too large or too small.

CLICK HERE to donate online with credit/debit card

DONATE VIA VENMO – search @libertynyrotary and type “Disaster Relief” in the “What’s It For” section.

To donate by check or money order make payable to:
CFOS Liberty, New York, Rotary Club Foundation Fund

Send checks to:
CFOS Liberty, New York, Rotary Club Foundation Fund
Please write “Disaster Relief” in the memo
30 Scotts Corners Drive, Suite 203
Montgomery, NY 12549

All donations are tax deductible.

53rd Annual Spaghetti Dinner

Liberty Rotary Club was delighted to host our 53rd Annual Spaghetti Dinner at the Liberty High School Cafeteria on October 25th. The sold our event served up some great food and gave us the opportunity to gather with many friends. The event yielded a profit of over $1,000, which will be used to support the Liberty High School Interact as well as Liberty Rotary Club and the many causes to which we contribute.

70 Years Old and Going Strong

Liberty Rotary Club turned 70 years old on October 13, 2022. Below please find a photo of our original charter from 1952. One can only imagine the long list of good deeds and people served by the club in its 70 years of putting "service above self". The club continues to be vibrant and make a positive difference in the lives of our members, our community, our nation and the world.

Coat Drive 2022 a Great Success!

Another successful coat drive is in the books! We want to thank everyone who donated coats and other items of clothing, as well as Jeff Bank, The Misner Agency, Inc., Liberty Trading Post, Wayne Bank, Star Bar and Grill and Liberty High School (Liberty, New York) for being coat drop-off locations.

Thank you for helping us keep our community warm as winter approaches!

#7210warminghudsonvalley #WGSD

Care-oke Fundraiser

Liberty Rotary Club held its first Karaoke event on September 18th at the Kartrite Resort in Monticello, NY to benefit Catskill Animal Rescue. The crowd was in great spirits and experienced a wide range of vocal talents. Thanks to our wonderful guests, our many prize donors, The Kartrite Resort and all the volunteers who collectively made the event tremendous fun. On top of the good time had by our attendees, over $1,200 was raised to support Catskill Animal Rescue.

In case you missed it, click on this link to hear those that gave their strongest performance for the good of the animals of Sullivan County.

Click Here to See Our Star Performers

Wallkill East Rotary Seeks to Bring Aid to Haiti

Bill Dauster – President of The Garnet Health Foundation represented Wallkill East Rotary Club at our September 7^th meeting, where he spoke about their club’s Second Rotary Global Grant effort. Their mission is to “address the critical community health needs of Haiti and produce sustainable, measurable outcomes”. This project is a collaboration between ORSI (Orthopedic Relief Services International founded by Dr. Ron Israelski) based in Goshen, Wallkill East Rotary Club, The Rotary Club of Port au Prince and Rotary International.

Through their joint efforts, the groups will strive to use a novel approach with the acronym I.C.E. (Infrastructure, Clinical, Education). The infrastructure provisions will include much needed medical supplies, which are in great demand in Haiti. The clinical portion will provide telemedicine technology with NYU School of Medicine. Lastly, the education segment consists of textbooks, year-round lectures from skilled orthopedists and computer software with orthopedic training and literature. This three pronged approach can do much good in Haiti, which has been plagued by government corruption, inner city violence and many gang controlled areas that interfere with access to modern health care.

This project is one of many sponsored by Rotary Clubs to bring improvements and relief to Haiti, which is the most economically depressed area in the Western Hemisphere. It should be noted that Liberty Rotary Club has been administering a Clean Water Program in Haiti for many years to provide potable water to those that would otherwise be exposed to pollution and pathogens in their drinking water. Through our club's program, 1,000 families have access to filtered water to better assure good health.

If you would like more information about Wallkill East's grant or would like to make a donation to support this project, contact Bill Bassett at 845-800-3532.

If you would like more information about the Liberty Rotary Club - Clean Water Program or would like to make a donation, please contact Gary Siegel at 845-798-2188

Ceremony to Recognize Park Project Contributions

At our club's August 31st meeting, a dedication was held to commemorate the two-plus year renovation and improvements project recently completed at the Liberty NY Rotary Club Charlie Topper Pavilion at Hanofee Park.

Our role as a club was to provide the funds and other supports needed to have a successful project.

That could not have been done without the generosity of funds from the Dave Thomson Trust and Resorts World Catskills casino, as well as the cooperation and assistance given by the Town of Liberty Parks and Recreation Department.

We are so grateful for their assistance, as well as the hard work of our Parks Committee in this process.

At last week’s meeting, Parks Committee Chair Dr. William Silver unveiled the wording of a plaque that will one day soon sit in the pavilion. He was joined by Town of Liberty Parks and Recreation Working Supervisor Kevin Delaney and Resorts World Catskills Manager of Government Affairs & Public Relations Angela Rein.

Liberty Rotary Hosts Region 5 Meeting and Barbecue

Liberty Rotary Club was delighted to host the Region 5 Meeting and Barbecue on August 17th at Hanofee Park. It was wonderful to have all our guests join us at our summer meeting spot for camaraderie and fellowship. Our District Governor - Larry Palant was there to catch us up on so much of what is going on with District 7210 and Rotary's initiatives. A.D.G. Jack Strassman and Liberty Club President Terry Grafmuller did a great job of running the meeting, which included reports from all the clubs attending from Region 5. Thanks to everyone that pitched in to make it a great summer night in the Catskills.

Liberty Rotary Takes Steps to Assist Veterans

Monticello Rotary Club and Resorts World Catskills always does an outstanding job of organizing and hosting the Monster Classic Run and Walk, and this year's event was no exception.

Liberty Rotary Club was pleased and proud to be a $500 sponsor of the event. Additionally, through the efforts of our club, $1,125 was raised to support our veterans. Thank you so very much to all the Liberty Rotarians and friends of Liberty Rotary Club that donated so generously to help those that have served our nation.

Numerous Liberty Rotarians showed up to enjoy the event, with members of our team being participants in either the 5k walk, 5k run or 10k run. It was a warm day for such an event, but spirits were high and it was great to be part of Monticello's exceptional exercise opportunity that does so much good.

Some members of Team Liberty Rotary present at the 44th Annual Monster Classic

Get In It To Win It

Don't miss your opportunity to cash in on this year's Liberty Rotary Club Raffle. All funds raised support Liberty Rotary Club programs and initiatives, and you could be the winner of $500. Tickets are $5 each, or improve your odds by purchasing 3 tickets for $10. See any Liberty Rotarian to purchase tickets.

Dance to Benefit The Special Olympics

The July 29th Dance to benefit The Special Olympics was an incredibly fun event! Sponsored by the Liberty Rotary Club, our neighbors and members gathered to dance the evening away and enjoy a bit to eat. Some of our awesome neighbors included people from New Hope Community and The Arc Greater Hudson Valley. Justice Mazzotti of Prestige productions brought the party to life with an incredible mix of classic dance tunes that had the whole crowd grooving. The party attendees enjoyed burgers and dogs served with Popcorners and beverages donated by PepsiCo.

Thank you to all the sponsors of this event, the dance committee, and everyone that worked so hard to bring this event to fruition. As a result of their collective efforts, over $1,500 was raised to benefit The Special Olympics.

Click on the link below to watch a video slideshow of the crew and guests making the evening a success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0RmuXQcYPw&t=4s

Coin Drop to Benefit Local Food Pantry

On July 23rd, the Liberty Rotary Club took to the road to encourage passers-by to contribute to our Dollar and Coin Drop. A portion of the proceeds from this event will support a local food pantry to benefit those experiencing food insecurity. Thank you to all the volunteers that endured blistering hot temperatures to make this event happen. We express our sincerest gratitude to all the motorists who gave so generously to support this event, which raised over $1,000 in just 4 hours.

Liberty Rotary Club Inducts New Officers

Assistant District Governor Jack Strassman officiated the induction of our 2022-23 officers at our July 6 meeting. Terry Grafmuller is the new club President of Liberty Rotary Club. Joseph Abraham has taken the role of President Elect. Matthew Sush will continue as Treasurer, Gary Siegel is the new Vice President, Barbi Neumann Marty will continue as Sergeant at Arms and Daniel Parkhurst is our new Secretary, who will work virtually from Tennessee. Additional board directors include Dan Berkowicz, Fay Cerullo, Charlie Mangini and Dr. William Silver. Congratulations and thank you to all!

We are optimistic that this group of volunteers will move our club forward and allow us to continue in our quest to make the world a better place.

Sincere appreciation to all the members of the 2021 - 2022 board, who gave their time and energy to create a productive and meaningful year.

Liberty Rotary Marches in July 4th Parade

Liberty Rotarians were proud to represent our club at this year's Greater Liberty Chamber of Commerce July 4th Parade. It was beautiful day for a parade and a great opportunity to celebrate the good in our country. Thanks to the chamber for including us! Additional appreciation to those that represented our club in the march and all those community members that made it a great event.

Liberty Rotary Seeking Donations To Support Ukraine

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW
to the LNYRC Disaster Relief Fund
To Support Ukraine

The Liberty Rotary Club has heard the cries of the Ukrainian people and are responding. We have already authorized donations to the Rotary Foundation, Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine, UNICEF, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, LIberty Central School Class of 2026 Ukraine Relief Supply Fund and Ukraine Volunteering and Defense Center - Aid Convoy for Ukraine.

This is a crisis of epic proportions that many of us have not seen in our lifetimes. At this time, more than 3 million Ukrainians have fled their country.

We are asking you to join us in helping our brothers and sisters in Ukraine by donating to our Disaster Relief Fund.

Liberty Rotary Club Distributes Many Scholarships

Congratulations to the recipients of this year's Liberty Rotary Club Scholarships. Our sincerest thanks to the businesses, organizations and individuals who made donations to our scholarship fund. Special appreciation to the Liberty Rotary Club Scholarship Committee who took the time to solicit applications, host interviews and select the most worthy for the following awards:

Melana Quick-Lepke $2000 LRC Community Service Award

Sponsored by BLS Law, Rhulen/Loughlin Family, & Foster Supply Hospitality

Dylan Parks $1500 LRC Community Service Awward

Sponsored by Woodbourne, Lawn & Garden, Kaplan Custom Cabinets & New Hope Community

Quintin Bradley Herzog $1000 LRC Community Service Award

Sponsored by Colonial Ramsay Funeral Home

Katrina Marie Blais $500 LRC Richard H. Fosler Achievement Award

Liberty Rotary Assists Bold Gold Media in Giving Children's Cancer the Boot

Bold Gold Media’s 11th Annual Thunder 102 & 104.5 Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon was recently held in Monticello, New York. A number of our Liberty NY Rotary Club members teamed up with representatives from Sullivan & Delaware County to participate in the "Kick Butt" Boot Card Committee distributing Boot Cards to over 180 locations in Thunder Country raising over $10,000 in Boot Card sales to help BOOT CANCER. The 2022 event raised a grand total of $61,729 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This annual event has raised over $600,000 to date.

“This type of fundraiser is truly what local radio is all about, connecting the community with an amazing cause, and also giving our clients the opportunity to align themselves with a Nationally renowned organization, and at the end of it all raising a bunch of money to fight childhood cancer. It just doesn’t get any better than this.” says Dawn Ciorciari, General Manager of Bold Gold Media NY Operations. Liberty Rotary Club was delighted to help Bold Gold Media reach its fundraising goals and do good for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Comedy Night Raises Some Bucks and Yucks!

Our club is so grateful for the support of the Forestburgh Playhouse who hosted a successful Comedy Night on Saturday, 5/21 featuring the comedy of Rich Kiamco . Thanks to the generosity of the Playhouse and event attendees, $700 was raised to support our club's youth programs!

The Forestburgh Playhouse's spring series has already benefited several local organizations doing amazing work. Franklin Trapp and staff are first class, and the Forestburgh Playhouse is such a gem in our community. For more information on upcoming fundraising events and Playhouse shows go to FBPlayhouse.org.

Liberty Rotary Starts Buddy System

In an effort to foster camaraderie amongst our club membership and assure that everyone feels included, The Liberty Rotary Club Membership Committee has created the “buddy system”. Its elegance lies in its simplicity, which pairs every person in our club with another member that they might not normally interact with socially. Buddies are encouraged to check in with each other, and if they so desire, spend a bit of time getting to know each other on a more personal level.

It is hoped that the new “buddy system” will help promote the third ethical guidepost of The Rotary Four Way Test, which is “Will It Build Good Will and Better Friendships”. It is through this four-part credo that Rotarians assure that all we do promotes our motto of “Service Above Self”.

Concert for Peace and Healing

Thank you to Cris Spinner for performing her "Concert for Peace and Healing". The music was beautifully performed and the audience found it very moving. The event was well attended and the day yielded over $3,000 in funds to provide humanitarian aid to those impacted by the war. All proceeds benefitted those affected by the crisis in Ukraine, via the Liberty NY Rotary Club's Disaster Preparedness and Relief Fund at the The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan. Our fundraising efforts continue, as those impacted are dealing with oppressive hardships and medical issues. Please consider supporting the Liberty Rotary Club Disaster Relief Fund to help us "Stand With Ukraine".

CLICK HERE to donate

7th Annual Recognition Brunch

The Liberty NY Rotary Club held their seventh annual Hummingbird Award and Paul Harris Fellow Recognition Lunch last Sunday at the Arc Greater Hudson Valley Multi-Purpose Room in Monticello. All proceeds benefit the club's Haiti Clean Water Program.

The Hummingbird Award originated from a story club members heard on a trip to Haiti, and is given to individuals and organizations who are doing their part and the best they can to make their communities a better place.

This year's Hummingbird Award recipients were Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills, Bill Bassett, Julian Dawson, Jannetta MacArthur, Marty Colavito, Gerald Skoda and Dan Hart.

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.

Rotary established the recognition in 1957 to encourage and show appreciation for substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation's only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships. Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.

Paul Harris Fellows recognized at Sunday's event were Joseph Abraham, Joanna Gass, Macklin Eugene, Danny Thalmann, Irving Kaplan, Les Kristt, Dan Parkhurst, Judy Siegel, Gary Silverman, Anthony Sinacore, Jack Strassman and Gary Siegel.

The non-profit, A Single Bite, provided the food for the event.

"We are grateful for the Arc of the Greater Hudson Valley for allowing us to use their wonderful space for our event," said Liberty Rotarian and Hummingbird Committee Chair Joseph Abraham. "We're also thankful for A Single Bite for catering a delicious meal. Our committee would also like to recognize the generosity of attendees and event sponsors for helping us raise crucial funds to help our friends in Haiti."

Over $3,500 was raised to support the Liberty NY Rotary Club's efforts in Haiti. Liberty Rotarians Gary Silver and Gary Siegel co-chair the Haiti Clean Water Program Committee.

"We are so grateful for the support that we have received at our Hummingbird & Paul Harris Fellow Recognition Lunches benefiting the Haiti Clean Water Program Sustainability Fund over the years and this year is no exception. All funds raised at the event will help to sustain our program beyond the term of the global grant so that the 1,000 families that have participated in the program in Cap Haitien will continue to benefit from having clean potable water well into the future, allowing them to lead healthier and more productive lives,” said Siegel.

To view a slideshow of photos from the event, click here.

Promoting Good Health and Making a Difference in February

The month of February of 2022 has featured some impressive speakers. Each of them is doing their part to improve lives and promote well being. Click the "Read More" button below to find out about our four outstanding presenters.

Rotary Takes on Food Insecurity

It has always been a priority of our club, and Rotary District 7210, to which we are a part of, to fight food insecurity in our communities.

Some of our club’s efforts, currently and/or in the past, include:

• Working with and supporting local partners that are feeding our neighbors. This has been achieved through over $2,000 in monetary donations, as well as volunteer efforts. An example of the latter is that our club recently agreed to take on a food delivery route for “A Single Bite” on Thursdays.

• Speaking of ‘A Single Bite,’ the non-profit partnered with us on this past November’s Dave Thomson Spirit, Beer and Wine Tasting Fundraiser, which in addition to benefiting our scholarship fund, raised substantial funds for them as well.

• Through Operation Feed 2.0, our club helped feed healthy meals to over 125 food insecure families in five communities during the pandemic. This effort has been sustained by ‘A Single Bite.’

• We’ve also hosted community dinners (the most recent of which took place last week on 2/16), and held coin drops and food drives benefitting local food pantries.

WSUL HEART-A-THON a Success!

Watch "From the Heart 2"

Rest In Peace Theresa Panny

Our dear friend and fellow Rotarian, Theresa Panny, passed away unexpectedly on December 29, 2021. She joined the Liberty Rotary Club in February, 2016. Since her induction, Theresa has held the office of Sergeant of Arms and was currently a Director of the board.

In the 5 years of Theresa's membership, she was co-chair of the RYLA committee and a member of the Global Grant, Scholarship, Spaghetti Dinner, Spirit, Beer, and Wine, Food Drives, Polio, Youth Exchange, and Open World Committees. She also participated in Heartathon and St. Jude's fundraisers. Theresa often staffed registration tables selling admission, raffle, and 50/50 tickets.

Professionally, Theresa was a Special Education teacher at Sullivan County BOCES and President of the Sullivan County BOCES Teacher's Association.

Theresa's energy, humor, and passion for helping will be greatly missed. Her passing has left a void in our Liberty Rotary family.

New Hope Community Makes Donation to Liberty Rotary

Judy Siegel represented Liberty Rotary Club in accepting a $1,500.00 donation from New Hope Community. The money is to be used for local programs and needs. New Hope appreciates how much Liberty Rotary Club gives back to the community and determined we should be one of the groups they wished to support.

In a Facebook post from the organization, they stated "One of our pillars at #NewHopeCommunity is to be deeply involved in our community. We make it our mission year round to have a presence and support our neighbors."

From our club's perspective, this has certainly been the case. We thank New Hope Community for their generosity and the incredible contribution they make to our region and those they serve.

LNYRC Disaster Preparedness & Relief Fund

Real time disaster response...

When the help is most needed!

We have responded to a number of disasters in the past (Hurricane Harvey, Florence & Maria in Texas, North Carolina & Puerto Rico, respectively flash flooding in Tennessee, earthquakes in Haiti & Puerto Rico and more recently the hurricanes in Belize). We continue to monitor any new disasters that strike domestically and internationally such as the tornadoes in the midwest.

Liberty Rotary completes mission to Belize

A team of Rotarians recently completed a mission to Belize as part of the ongoing Liberty NY Rotary Club (LNYRC) Disaster Preparedness and Relief efforts. According to Liberty Rotarian and head of Mission Control Operations, Charles Lee Miller, the goal of the 5-day mission was “to deepen our operational knowledge and partnerships in the Belize River Valley in order to inform and advance ongoing efforts to improve survivability and quality of life in the face of future disaster.”

Liberty Rotary donates to A Single Bite

LIBERTY – The Liberty NY Rotary Club (LRC) recently made a $7,050 donation to A Single Bite, from funds raised during their Dave Thomson Spirit, Beer and Wine Tasting fundraiser.

The event, held last month at Piccolo Paese, benefitted the non-profit, as well as the LRC’s scholarship fund, which last year alone, distributed over $6,000 to students continuing their academic careers at the collegiate level.

“Rotary can only accomplish its goals by establishing strong relationships with community partners,” said LRC President Gary Silverman. “There are few groups doing more in our area to assist those dealing with food insecurity than A Single Bite. The combination of Liberty Rotary Club members working with representatives from A Single Bite made for a great team. We are delighted the event turned out to be so successful. The efforts and contributions of so many, enabled us to fortify the Liberty Rotary Club Scholarship fund to promote education in our local schools. Additionally, we raised a substantial amount of money for A Single Bite, which continues to bring essential food to our neighbors.”

Liberty Rotary Raises Pints for the Holiday Season

The Liberty Rotary Club held its annual blood drive on Saturday, December 11th. Numerous Rotary Club members and people from the community came to give a gift that really matters this holiday season. Thank you to all that donated. Blood supplies are very low, so if you were unable to make it to our blood drive and are able to do so, please plan to donate blood soon.

Coin Drop Leads to Positive Change for Those in Need

The Liberty Rotary Club held a dollar and coin drop to benefit St. Peter's Food Pantry in Liberty on November 20th. Thanks to the incredible generosity of a multitude of vehicles that passed our volunteers, we were able to collect over $1,250.00 to help feed those in need. Special thanks to all the volunteers that came out to collect funds on that chilly morning and to those that gave so many dollars and coins.

Ninth Annual Dave Thomson Fundraiser

The Ninth Annual Dave Thomson Spirit, Beer and Wine Tasting to benefit scholarships and "A Single Bite" was a great time for great causes. The evening's atmosphere was joyous and the company superb. The food and drink was of the finest quality. Even more important, was that this event raised much needed funds to provide educational opportunities for students and provide meals for the food insecure. Thank you so very much to all the sponsors that supported this event. Special thanks to Foster Supply Hospitality for letting us use their beautiful venue, Piccolo Paese, and providing staffing and food for the event. Additional special thanks to Claudia Hoyser and her band, who shared their incredible talents to help us reach our goals.

If you would like to view some photos of the event, please do so at https://youtu.be/XjfnA-M0byE

To view the stream of the event, use the following link: https://www.twitch.tv/LibertyNYRotary

Congratulations S.C. Chamber Pride Award Winners!

Some Liberty Rotary Club members were at the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce Pride Awards the evening of November 11th. We congratulate all of the award recipients, and are especially proud of two who are Liberty Rotarians, Matt Sush - "Young Emerging Leader Award" and Marie Smith - "Distinguished Service Award".

Event To Benefit Scholarships & A Single Bite

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A SPONSOR

Turning Trash to Treasure

Barbi Neumann-Marty and Joe Abraham stopped by Liberty High School to hang out with fellow Liberty Rotarian and LHS Business Teacher Dan Hart and the Interact Club. Together, they sorted through donated plastic that will soon be turned into park benches.

We're very proud of the Liberty Interact Club. From this project to the Comfort Closet they established last year, these young folks are truly people of action!

Liberty Rotarian Irving Kaplan Honored for Service

Congratulations to Liberty Rotarian Irving Kaplan and Bart Rasnick who were recognized for their 50 years of service with the Fallsburg Fire Department on Sunday night. Fallsburg FD is celebrating their 100th anniversary.

We're proud of Irving for his dedication to the fire service and his commitment to keeping his community safe. Irving truly lives our motto of "Service Above Self"! Thank you Irving!

Liberty Rotary Provides Warmth to Many

On Saturday, October 9, our club gave away approximately 525 coats (in adult and kid sizes) and winter accessories to local families in need. The majority of the coats, which were distributed at the Liberty Senior Center, were donated by the community, with each Jeff Bank location, Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills, Achieve Rehab and Nursing Facility, St. Peter’s Church in Liberty, and the Liberty Interact Club (at Liberty HS) serving as drop locations.

Our club also used some of its own funds to clean coats, as well as purchase additional coats where there was a need (i.e. children’s sizes). Leftover coats were donated to the Liberty United Methodist Church, which will be holding their own drive in the near future.

Thanks to everyone who donated coats and winter accessories, our drop-off location partners, and the Town of Liberty Parks and Rec department for allowing us to use the space. You helped to make this year’s coat drive a smashing success!

Liberty Rotary Club Raises Funds to Fight Alzheimer's

Liberty Rotary Club raised nearly $2,500 in support of this year's Walk Against Alzheimer's. The bulk of our contributions were raised at a coin drop dedicated to this worthy cause. Although only a small number of members attended the walk, a great many Liberty Rotarians assisted in the raising of funds. The hope is that one day Alzheimer's will be no longer be so impactful on the lives of our population. Of the top ten fundraisers for the Orange and Sullivan annual walk, three of the groups were Rotary Clubs, which included Liberty, Walkill East(Top Fundraiser) and Monticello Rotary.

Liberty Rotary Receives Walter A. Rhulen Award

The Liberty Rotary Club was honored to be the recipient of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development - Walter A. Rhulen Award. We had the pleasure of attending their annual meeting and dinner where the award was presented to us by Sims Foster. We are exceptionally appreciative for this grand recognition of the work we do. We'd also like to congratulate Delaware Engineering DPC's John Brust, who was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. Thank you to everyone who made this monumental recognition possible.

Please Support Haiti Relief Efforts

At 8:30am (GMT-4) on August 14th, a strong, shallow earthquake rocked southwestern Haiti. The 7.2 magnitude quake, which was 10km deep, toppled buildings and homes and damaged infrastructure and roads, cutting off access to some roads in the southwest such as National Road 7 (RN#7) connecting Les Cayes and Jeremie, and forcing many to flee their homes in fear that they may collapse. There have been many casualties and deaths reported in the areas in the southwest parts of Haiti.

The Liberty Rotary Club Disaster Relief Committee has been in contact with many of our friends in Haiti who are providing intel and information about the immediate needs. District 7020 Past District Governor Robert Leger and member of the Rotary Club des Cayes will be helping us coordinate our relief efforts. Gustav Clivens who lives in Ile A Vache, an island 9 miles south

of Les Cayes that our mission teams have visited is currently in Les Cayes and providing intel and information for us to assess. In addition we have contacted Gift of Water as well as our friends in the Rotary Club des Cap Haitien to assist us in our relief efforts.

On behalf of our fellow Rotarians and friends in Haiti, our Liberty NY Rotary Club Disaster Relief Committee is asking everyone to consider making a donation to support our relief efforts there. Our goal is to raise at least $10,000. Receiving the donations quickly will provide help to our friends in Haiti in real time.

All proceeds raised will go to the Liberty NY Rotary Club Disaster Relief Fund and will be used to provide relief as determined by our assessments of the situation on the ground in Haiti.

CLICK HERE to donate online with credit/debit card

DONATE ON VENMO – search @libertynyrotary and type “Disaster Relief” in the “What’s It For” section.

To donate by check or money order make payable to:
CFOS Liberty, New York, Rotary Club Foundation Fund

Send checks to:
CFOS Liberty, New York, Rotary Club Foundation Fund
Please write “Disaster Relief” in the memo
30 Scotts Corners Drive, Suite 203
Montgomery, NY 12549

Please contact Gary Siegel if you have questions or need more information.

Gary Siegel - Immediate Past President (LibertyNYRotaryClub@gmail.com)

"Service Above Self"

845 798-2188 (m)

845 295-9500 (w)

845 292-2552 (h)

Coin and Dollar Drive A Big Win for The Walk to End Alzheimer's

Thanks to the efforts of many Rotarians and the generosity of those passing by, the "Coin and Dollar Drive" held on August 14th yielded one thousand six hundred and ninety dollars and 21 cents($1690.21). This event was dedicated to supporting Team Liberty Rotary in their efforts to fundraise for The Walk to End Alzheimer's. Thank you to all who gave their time to make this fundraising effort so successful. Special thanks to all the motorists who donated their coins and dollars to aid the fight against Alzheimer's.

Just Do It for a Good Cause!

Liberty Rotary Club will be participating in 3 upcoming events in support of very worthy causes.

Please plan to join Team Liberty or make a contribution to benefit the organizations we are assisting.


	Click here to donate to Team Bold Gold / Team Liberty Rotary	Click here to donate to Team Liberty's Walk Against Alzheimer's

Dave Thomson Spirit Beer and Wine Tasting Coming Soon

Be In It To Win It!

Liberty Rotary Club is holding its annual cash prize raffle. However, you can't win that $500 first prize, $250 second prize or your choice of a magnificent hand painted hummingbird window third price if you don't purchase a ticket. Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. Contact any Liberty Rotarian or catch us when members will be selling tickets outside the Liberty Diner or Liberty Trading Post to make your donation to support Liberty Rotary Club's great work and get your chance to win.

Act soon, because the drawing will be held on September 22nd, 2021!

Bagel Festival Helps Liberty Rotary Raise Awareness and Some Dough

Liberty Rotary Club was pleased to be present at the Monticello Bagel Festival and RadioBold Music Festival on 8/8/21. While there, we had the opportunity to inform attendees about the important work we do and sell tickets to our raffle, which supports future projects and causes.

Great job by the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce and Bold Gold Media Group. We had a great time taking part in the day's festivities and interacting with members of our community.

Team Liberty Takes on the Monster

Liberty Rotary Club participated in the Monticello Rotary / Resorts World Catskills 5K and 10K Monster Run and Walk on August 1st. The Liberty Club was proud to be a $500 sponsor of the event. Additionally, through the collective efforts of members and friends of our club, $935.00 was raised to support the Sullivan County Veteran's Coalition. Thank you to our host, Monticello Rotary Club, and to all those that contributed to our fundraising efforts. Shown below are some Liberty Rotary members that were able to be there on race day.

Liberty Rotary Has Visitors from Belize

On Wednesday, July 14th, the Liberty NY Rotary Club hosted Katherine Meighan, Zulema Medina and Carla Musa from Belize. All of these three amazing women provided those in attendance with an introduction and the club was briefed on the progress of our disaster relief efforts in Belize. It was pointed out that after both Hurricane Eta and Iota struck Belize that the Belize Disaster Relief Team googled "disaster relief" and one of the first organizations that appeared in the search was Operation Endeavor where a number of our Rotarians including Charles Lee Miller, Shannon Barry, Gary Silver, Susan Kraycer and Gary Siegel are all on the Operation Endeavor Board of Directors. It was only natural that the Liberty Rotary Club would get involved. Katherine Meighan, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Belize, has been instrumental in helping to coordinate the disaster relief efforts in Belize and in her brief report she thanked our club along with all the other clubs, organizations and individuals who donated toward the program. A number of survival kits and much needed supplies such as dry bags, flashlights, etc have been provided to families affected by the hurricane. Katherine stated that they are very interested in Disaster Preparedness Training and being proactive so that they are more prepared for the next disaster. Aquaboxes have been received and are safely stored so that they can be distributed as needed if and when the next disaster strikes. In addition over 100 pairs of shoes, donated by local not for profit Sole Purpose, have been distributed to families affected by the storms. The Liberty Rotary Club in partnership with Operation Endeavor are hoping to schedule future missions to Belize to help with preparedness and to continue to strengthen our relationship with our friends in Belize.

Live (Hybrid) Meeting Held at Hanofee Park

Our club held its first hybrid meeting on July 7th at Hanofee Park. It was the first meeting with an in-person component that we’ve held since the start of the pandemic! Thanks to the collaborative efforts of many, we shared some food and laughs as well as getting to hear from this year's RYLA participants.

Liberty Rotary Club 2020-2021 Year in Review

Welcome to our Two Newest Members

At our June 23 meeting, Liberty Rotary Club was please to induct two new members to our club. Special thanks to Jack Strassman and Judy Siegel for performing the induction ceremony and leading our Membership Committee.

Welcome Nicoletta LaMarca Sacco(Sponsored by Joseph Abraham) and Steve Fetner(Sponsored by Judy Siegel).

Congratulations to this Year's Scholarship Winners

Hummingbirds Walk for Clean Water

Congratulations to our newest Paul Harris Fellows

2021 Hummingbird Awards

Congratulations to this year's Hummingbird Award Recipients

Opening Remarks and Introduction: Joseph Abraham and Amanda Langseder	The Hummingbird Story: Gary Silver and Gary Siegel
Hummingbird Recipient Terry Grafmuller (Introduction by Joseph Abraham)	Hummingbird Recipient Judy Siegel (Introduction by Jack Strassman)
Hummingbird Recipient B.A.T.S. Accepted by Reverend Norman Graves (Introduction by Barbi Neumann Marty)	Hummingbird Recipient Monticello High School Boys and Girls Club Keystone Club Accepted by Chris Spinner (Introduction by Dr. William Silver)
Hummingbird Recipient Anthony Marmo (Introduction by Gary Silver)	Hummingbird Recipient Peter Sullivan (Introduction by Gary Silver)
Hummingbird Recipient Foster Supply Hospitality (Introduction by Gary Siegel)	Closing Remarks and Thank You Gary Silverman

Hummingbird Walk

Entry Form Link: https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/SJrI1HtQUK5aBZGl7NU5

Liberty Comfort Closet Open to Assist

The Liberty High School Interact Club’s Comfort Closet, which will provide new personal hygiene items free of cost to district students who need it, will soon open its doors.

Items available include shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, socks, mouthwash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, deodorant, hair gel, bar soap, feminine pads, hairbrushes, hair ties, lotion, tampons, body wash, face wash, Q-Tips, face masks, combs, flushable wipes, sanitizer, small-XXXL underwear, laundromat vouchers, laundry soap and dryer sheets.

Student in need of supplies will be able to fill out a request form.

Comfort Closet items were purchased from monies the club collected through donations, grants and fundraisers.

Club members, with the help of Liberty High School Business Teacher and Interact Club Advisor Dan Hart, has fully stocked the Comfort Closet, but could use help replenishing it. Donations of the aforementioned items would be greatly appreciated.

While managing the closet, the Liberty HS Interact Club is also embarking on another project. They are collecting recyclable plastic which they will send to the TREX, a company that creates eco-friendly outdoor products made from recycled plastic products. TREX will then turn that plastic into a bench which will be placed on school grounds.

So if you have recyclable plastic available contact the club.

For more information on the club’s Comfort Closet and recycling project, contact Dan Hart at dhart@libertyk12.org.

CLICK HERE for Entry Form

The Liberty Rotary Club is proud to present the “Hummingbirds Walk For Clean Water”. This event will raise funds for the Haiti Clean Water Program Sustainability Fund which will allow us to continue to provide water filtration systems and supplies that provide clean, potable water to 1,000 families in Haiti that would otherwise do without.

Rotary District 7210 Million Mask Challenge Round 2

As part of the second round of the Rotary District 7210 Million Mask Challenge, our club, along with the Livingston Manor Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Monticello, NY distributed over 3,100 masks to Sullivan County BOCES and local school districts.

Geneva May - Working to Provide Maternal and Child Health

Geneva May, a Community Health Worker Supervisor with the Maternal Infant Services Network was a guest speaker at our 4/14/21 meeting. She explained the function and importance of the Maternal Infant Community Health Collaborative(MICHC) which is a federally funded grant that funds health workers that helps women overcome negative health outcomes and disparities through collaborative care referrals in partnership with other area agencies.

The work of this organization is especially important because the following statistics were found for 2019-2020.

-About 24% of client births were low birth weight

-About 47% of client births were labeled pre-term

-Increased needs for immigration services

-Strong need for access to food, goods and transportation

-Anticipation of a high demand for housing in the near future.

Should you or someone you know be in need of maternal infant services, you can reach Ms. May at gmay@misn-ny.org or call 845-637-4424

We thank Ms. May for the important work she and her organization is doing to assure that mothers and babies have access to care and services in our county.

Operation Feed 3.0 Barbecue

Operation Feed 3.0 came to a close on Thursday, 4/8/21 with a grand finale BBQ at

Garnet Health

Medical Center - Catskills. Thank you to all those working and volunteering at the local vaccination clinics. Also, thank you to everyone who donated and made this initiative possible!

Liberty Rotary Presents Paul Harris Recognitions

Liberty Rotary Club was proud to present two awards at its 4/7/21 meeting.

A Paul Harris Fellow Plus 1 was presented to club member Anthony Sinacore. Anthony has been a vital member of our club and our community and we are delighted that he has supported the Rotary Foundation and so many of Rotary's projects. He is truly a man who serves his club and its goals. Congratulations Tony!

A Paul Harris Fellow was presented to local business owner Steven Gottlieb. Steve has been a tremendous asset to our community and a strong supporter of Liberty Rotary Club initiatives. His donation of time, sponsorship and allowing us to hold events in front of his Liberty Trading Post has been invaluable. Thank you Steve for your incredible assistance.

Anthony Sinacore-Paul Harris Plus 1 Steven Gottlieb-Paul Harris Fellow

Susan and Steven Anthony Sinacore President Siegel presents pin

Gottlieb

Operation Feed 3.0 Provides Meals for Many

Operation Feed 3.0 has now raised over $6,750, which has facilitated serving the heath workers and volunteers at 35 Covid-19 Vaccine Clinics nearly 700 meals. We thank everyone working to assure our county can provide this essential health service to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. We additionally thank all our generous donors and Liberty Rotarian Bill Silver, who coordinated this effort. If you would like to donate to this community effort please Click Here.

Trash Talkin' Bill Cutler Speaks About Sullivan Waste Management

Bill Culter, Recycling Coordinator for Sullivan County spoke at our 3/24/21 meeting. When it comes to the inside scoop on how our solid waste is handled and recycled, no one knows the system better than Bill. He began by letting our membership know all of the facilities available in our county that handle the mountain of disposed materials generated by our community. He then gave us a detailed explanation of how the recycling program in Sullivan County operates, including some helpful advice about the objects that can be recycled and those that are better thrown away.(Check out the Recycling Brochure for more details: https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/zSfOpw90RcWBdaKiCmc4) Our county has a extensive program for recycling of materials of many kinds. If you are not sure what to do with some discarded item, check with the transfer station or Bill to find out the proper action to take.

One program that the county is working on is a system to compost our organic materials to generate quality soils. The area generates about 80,000 tons of waste each year for disposal. It is estimated that about 30% of that may be organically based and suitable for composting. Cutler tells us that by diverting and reclaiming just 4,000 tons (5%) of our organic waste will save $320,000 per year in disposal tip fees!

We thank Bill for his interesting and helpful presentation. To find out more about Sullivan County's solid waste management system, use the links and information in the rest of this article.

Speakers from Around the Globe for World Water Day

At the March 17th Liberty Rotary Club meeting, we were fortunate to have a number of guest speakers linked to the international projects to which our organization has given assistance.

Our first speaker was Katherine Meighan from the Rotary Club of Belize who spoke about the work in her area after the devastating impact of Hurricanes Eta and Iota and the incredible good the contributions raised by Liberty Rotary Club was doing in the region. Ms. Meighan told about the widespread impact the hurricanes had on Honduras, Guatamala and Belize. She stated that without the support of the Liberty Rotary Club, her club would not have been able to accomplish all it had. These accomplishments included determining what immediate relief was needed and the creation of 120 survival kits to aid those in desperate need of essential supplies.(The following photos are from Ms. Meighan's Presentation)

As the local residents struggled with water that had not yet receded, they distributed clothing to those that had lost their worldly belongings. They also distributed 144 AquaBoxes to assure that families would have safe and clean drinking water. The value of these boxes was approximately $9,000.

They also were able to obtain shoes from an organization know as "Sole Purpose". The synergy of all the organizations that helped with Belize's recovery brought great relief to an area that was so extensively altered by the natural disasters. Ms. Meighan said the the assistance from Liberty Rotary Club and its connections for aid brought great surprise and elation! To donate to the Belize Disaster Relief Campaign go to: https://cfosny.org/our-funds/project-funds/liberty-new-york-rotary-club-foundation-fund/

Our next speakers were Roz Adamson from AquaBox and a member of the Rotary Club of Twickenham and Roger Cassidy a member of the Rotary Club of Haselmere . Roz explained how the AquaBox systems work and the great impact they were having around the world. Each filter box can be distributed to a community or family and will last indefinitely. Some of the units have now been in use for 6-7 years and still provide clean, potable water. They identified that the only part of the system that sometimes fails are some O-rings, so extras are now included to assure their units keep serving those in need. As long as the systems are back-flushed daily, their simple design keeps performing.

Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, flooding, drought, typhoons or hurricanes happen all too often. They can occur in any location in the world, causing widespread disruption, loss of life, food and water shortages. Similarly, man-made conflicts result not only in severe damage to infrastructure but also in large numbers of people being displaced from their homes with very limited access to shelter and essential living items. Aquabox responds by sending its AquaFilters and humanitarian aid, working closely with selected aid agencies and distribution partners who ensure that the aid reaches those most in need. (Photos from Roz Abramson's Presentation)

To donate to Aquabox go to https://www.aquabox.org/donate-online.html

We thank our guest speakers so very much for sharing the amazing work they are doing to aid those struggling with incredibly difficult situations. Liberty Rotary Club is proud to do its part to support these efforts.

And the Winner Is........ Everyone!

Liberty Rotary Club was very pleased to receive a $1,000 prize from Jeff Bank as a result of our efforts at this year's Garnet Health WSUL Heart-A-Thon. For each $500 our club raised, we earned a chance at winning this prize. Thanks to the impressive fundraising efforts of so many and the generosity of our members and community, we had many chances.

LRC helped to raise $16,193 in pledges and $8,497 in hearts for a total of $24,790. If you add the $4,585 from the Monticello & LM Rotary Clubs, the Grand Total raised with the help of the local rotary clubs in 2021 was $29,375. This year’s Heart-A-Thon raised just over $95,000.

Our club has been a proud of supporter of the Heart-A-Thon for many years, and we thank Bold Gold Media and the Heart-A-Thon Committee for their dedication to the event, which raises thousands of dollars annually for Garnet Health Medical Center- Catskills.

Michael Herriman Provides Update on Haiti Water Program

We were delighted to have Michael Herriman update our club on the status of The Haiti Water Program, that is providing devices to create clean, potable water for thousands of Haitians. Herriman reports that the project, which distributed 1,000 water filtration systems to families in Cap Hatien, Haiti is going well and that there is a consistent supply of filter parts and purification tablets. They look forward to a training session for the technicians that work with the filter system recipients and assure they are being used properly and consistently. Herriman believes that these training sessions keep the technicians motivated, focused and well educated, so that the program is sustained. Mr. Herriman stated that it's "all good news" and that Liberty Rotary Club's efforts in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere are doing a great deal of good.

Aquaboxes to Help Families in Belize

A full pallet of 144 Aquabox's Filter Family Units are being shipped to the Rotary Club of Belize for their Disaster Relief Team to distribute to families in the neighboring villages that have been affected by Hurricanes Eta & Iota to provide them with clean potable water.

The three ladies in the photo are part of the Aquabox volunteer Workforce in the UK where the shipment is allocated on a groupage service sailing from London Gateway UK to Belize. The filtration systems are being funded by the donations made to the Liberty NY Rotary Club's Belize Disaster Relief Campaign.

It's only fitting that March is Water and Sanitation Month as declared by Rotary international. The shipment is due to arrive in Belize on or about March 9. Stay tuned for more updates.

To donate to the Belize Disaster Relief Campaign go to: https://libertynyrotary.org/Stories/liberty-rotary-seeking-help-for-hurricane-eta-iota-victims?fbclid=IwAR139sVGWHFn0djAoUAhOcO1oRqC3Dhlw8SjApJfbDHPJNMSM1nPMW9i038

Coin and Dollar Drive Benefits "A Single Bite"

Numerous Liberty Rotarians spent part of their day on February, 27th collecting donations for "A Single Bite". Thanks to the tremendous generosity of our community, we were able to collect nearly $1,000 in just 5 hours. This will equate to providing a substantial number of meals to those dealing with food insecurity at this difficult time. Thank you to all our donors and volunteers.

Liberty Rotary Seeking Help For Hurricane Eta & Iota Victims

HURRICANE RELIEF IN CENTRAL AMERICA

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!
CLICK HERE for Belize Basics and FAQ's
CLICK HERE for Central America Region Disaster Relief Video

There is an immediate need for supplies to get to families affected by Hurricanes Eta and Iota in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Representatives from the Liberty NY Rotary Club, Operation Endeavor, the Belize Sunrise Rotary Club and The Belize Rotary Club met on zoom recently as a result of being contacted by the Executive Director of the Belize Emergency Response Team requesting disaster relief assistance. We have been able to identify needs as described by those with boots

on the ground in Belize. Those needs include DONATIONS to purchase food, hygiene and domestic supplies for hurricane-stricken families as wells as to provide disaster preparedness and basic first aid training necessary to educate stakeholders and build resilience for future disasters.

CLICK HERE for Video showing Belize Rotarians delivering food and supply packages to families affected by floods caused by Hurricane Eta and Iota in Central Belize.

DONATE TODAY

Heart-A-Thon a Huge Success!

Liberty Rotary Club has always been a strong supporter of the WSUL Heart-a-thon to benefit the Garnet Health Sullivan County Cardiac Wing. Thanks to a multifaceted fundraising effort, the Rotary Clubs of Sullivan County played a big role in helping this year's event raise $93,446. Thanks to all the organizations and businesses in our wonderful community that showed that "The Beat Goes On" when it comes to assuring quality cardiac care in our region.

Our energetic and creative club member Joanna Gass came up with a great way to raise funds for this worthy cause and let our members have a little fun. Check out the Liberty Rotary Club Virtual "Parade of Hearts".

CLICK ON THE ROTARY HEART TO MAKE A DONATION

"From The Heart" Show Link

If you missed the show:

"FROM THE HEART"
CLICK HERE for the to watch. Start at 47:10 to skip the lead-ins.
featuring Joanna Gass and Friends!-
CLICK HERE to Donate!

Thank you Joanna and guests for sharing your amazing talents and supporting this worthy cause!

Thanks to Piccolo Paese

We wish to thank Piccolo Paese for their incredible generosity and support of "From the Heart" virtual dinner theater and The WSUL Heart-A-Thon, both of which benefit cardiac care at Garnet Sullivan County. For those who missed out on the delectable offerings, it was your loss, as the food was superb . Foster Supply Hospitality is donating every dollar they raised from their "Hearty Meal" promotions to the Heart-A-Thon. They truly exemplify "Service Above Self"!

Operation Feed 3.0 Kicks Off

DONATE NOW TO OPERATION FEED 3.0

OPERATION FEED 3.0 is an initiative of the Liberty NY Rotary Club, to provide meals to Garnet Health Regional Hospital – Catskills (GHMC-Catskills) and Sullivan County Public Health Staffs working extra shifts to staff Covid-19 immunization clinics, and renew our support for our local restaurants in this endlessly difficult time for them.

Donations are needed to Fund Opeartion Feed 3.0. Because our volunteers donate all of their time and efforts, one hundred percent of all contributions support the purchase of meals for the essential workers at the Covid-19 Vaccination Clinics.

Liberty Interact - Comfort Closet T-Shirt Fundraiser

To Order A Shirt Click On The T-Shirt Image Above

Melinda Wegener Does Her Part to Fight the Pandemic

The guest speaker at our January 20, 2021 meeting was Melinda Wegener, who has been working with her husband Gary to combat the Covid-19 pandemic by sewing masks. Their efforts have been targeted towards serving the underserved areas of our country, particularly the homeless, migrant workers and Native Americans.

Through their joint efforts, they have produced over 8,000 masks since they began. That amounts to about 700 yards of fabric and miles of thread. In an effort to keep costs down and keep up their production rates, they located wholesale distributors and raised money through fundraising. Additional funds have been raised with the assistance of Morgan Outdoors, which is selling some of the masks to support the initiative.

This past summer they joined forces with a group called Auntie Sewing Squad which provides them with the connections to reach those that need the masks and assists in shipping costs. (Auntiesewingsquad.com)

Liberty Rotary Club thanks Melinda for her inspiring presentation and their Herculean efforts to reduce the spread of this pandemic. As Melinda stated, “Their health is our health. We’re never going to get through this pandemic if we don’t take care of everyone”.

Million Mask Challenge Tour

Liberty NY Rotary Club President Gary Siegel traveled to Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls for the Million Mask Challenge Tour Pickup. A total of 175,000 masks were delivered for the clubs in Rotary District 7210, 12,000 of which will be distributed in Sullivan County by the Liberty, Livingston Manor and Monticello clubs. They also picked up 1,500 youth masks plus 420 KN95’s.

Rotary Club of Monticello, NY’s Jacob Lerner, one of coordinators of the project for the district, was also present to assist and pick up masks. Siegel delivered Livingston Manor's portion of the masks to President Diane Babich. Masks will be distributed to a number of Sullivan County businesses and organizations designated by the Rotary Club of Monticello NY and Liberty NY Rotary Club.

This includes not-for-profit organizations who are providing meals to food insecure families, small businesses, fire, EMS and police departments, schools, youth programs, and more.

Robert M. Dufour, Ed.D. - Sullivan County B.O.C.E.S. District Superintendent Gives Update

Dr. Robert Dufour - Supt. of Sullivan County B.O.C.E.S gave our club an update on a number issues associated with Sullivan County schools.

Dufour noted that many schools in the area have deemed it necessary to close one or more buildings, for varying lengths of time, due to staff members or students testing positive for Covid-19. He explained that teachers are presenting "creative and engaging lessons" via remote teaching tools or through a hybrid of in-person and virtual instruction. Despite every school's best effort to keep moving our students forward, there is concern that these methods may not be working well enough, and that pupils may be falling behind.

Dufour also discussed the effort to provide Covid-19 vaccinations to the educational staff of our county. Although local supply of the vaccine is currently unavailable, much effort has been put forth to collect data to evaluate how many doses will be needed, and how to schedule the more than 2,400 education workers that are eligible to receive those shots. This should allow for greater efficiency when further vaccine supplies arrive. Approximately 25% of those that qualify have currently not shown interest in getting the vaccine, and there are efforts being made to determine why that number is so high and also to educate those qualified to receive the injections.

On the B.O.C.E.S campus, educational and vocational programs are progressing, but with less hands-on and laboratory time than prior to the pandemic. Much time has been invested to provide focus, not just on student academics, but also to social-emotional wellness.

Dr. Dufour thanked the Liberty Rotary Club for all that we do to assist the youth and families of our county. As he stated: "Somewhere out there, is a child smiling because of something Liberty Rotary Club did."

We thank Dr. Dufour for his time and valuable insight, as well as all he does for the children of our county.

Liberty Rotary Club 2020 Year In Review

2020 - Making Lemonade Out Of Lemons! The Liberty NY Rotary Club raised over $118,000 for important local, regional and international causes most of which was done during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Thanks to all who have supported these initiatives Here's to a happy, healthy and productive 2021.

CLICK HERE to download the 2020 Year In Review and Toasts to 2021!

You've Got To Be In It To Win It

Tickets are on sale from any Liberty Rotary Club Member or reserve your ticket by emailing libertynyrotaryclub@gmail.com with the number of tickets you would like.

Donation of $50/ticket can be paid through VENMO. Search @libertynyrotary & write “Winter Raffle” in "what's it for" box

or send your donation of $50/ticket to:

Liberty NY Rotary Club Winter Raffle
PO Box 493
Liberty, NY 12754

Please include return address.
We will send your raffle ticket stub(s) when donation is received

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Peace, Love, Lights and Assistance for the Federation

Liberty NY Rotary Club members participated in the Sullivan 180 "Walkthrough Wednesday 500 Challenge" at Bethel Woods’ "Peace, Love & Lights" benefiting the Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless. The challenge was, if 500 walkers participated in the mile long walk through the impressive lighting displays, then a donation of $500 would be given to the Federation. The 500th walker participated just before we arrived, meaning that the goal had been attained. At a previous board meeting, Liberty Rotary Club had set aside matching funds of an additional $500 for when Sullivan 180 reached its goal.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Sullivan 180 representatives including Amanda Galigher Langseder, Linday Wheat and others. It was a calm and warm evening(by late December standards) to stroll through the impressive display of lights and get in some extra steps toward good health. During these unique times, it was wonderful to experience the glow of the season with fellow Rotarians while the well dispersed crowd of multiple generations enjoyed the spirit of the holidays.

Click the "Read More" button to see photos taken by Gary Siegel of some of the unique presentations in light. However, to really appreciate the experience, it should be seen up close and in full motion.

Food Drive Yields Tremendous Amount of Food and Funds

The spirit of giving was strong at the December 19^th Liberty Rotary Club Food Drive that benefited the Liberty Interfaith Food Pantry. Through the combined efforts of numerous Rotarians and an exceptional number of generous community members, the food drive yielded so much food that 4 vehicles were used to transport it to the food pantry. Even more impressive, was the fact that patrons of the Liberty Market and Liberty Trading Post, as well as some early donors, dropped over $1,400 in cash and coin into our collection buckets. To that total, Steve Gottlieb and The Liberty Trading Post contributed $300 to the cause. That led to a total of $1,767 collected from this one-day event! Additionally, the Liberty Rotary Club issued a check for $500 to support The Interfaith Food Pantry, bringing the total contribution to $2,267 to allow the pantry to sustain our neighbors that struggle with food insecurity at these difficult times. All that food and money will do a lot of good.

Special thanks to Randy Resnick and Liberty Market for gathering food leading up to this event and allowing us to collect groceries and money at their store. Additional special thanks to Steve Gottlieb and The Liberty Trading Post for their contribution and allowing us to collect in front of their store. Also, thank you to those that worked in rather chilly conditions throughout the day to make this event happen. A day which started with a temperature of 4 degrees and never rose above freezing did not stop the following from doing good for our community: Dan Berkowicz, Paul Ciliberto, Pat Fetner, Steve Fetner, Mr. Terry Grafmuller, Mrs. Terry Grafmuller, Irving Kaplan, Sue Kraycer, Jannetta MacArthur, Barbi Neumann Marty, Laura Sandoval, Jaime Schmeiser, Gary Siegel, Bill Silver, Gary Silverman and Tony Sinacore. This event once again proves how generous our community can be and the incredible concern we show to those that live in our area.

Senator Jen Metzger Presents LRC With 2020 NYS Senate Empire Award

The Liberty NY Rotary Club was honored to be presented with the New York State Senate 2020 Empire State Award for outstanding community service by Senator Jen Metzger. The award was presented to the club in recognition of outstanding contributions and dedication to the growth, prosperity and betterment of our community. Senator Metzger pointed out the outstanding word that the club has done in the community including the contributions to the 98.3 WSUL Heartathon, support of the local Boys and Girls Club, and initiating and coordinating Operation Feed supporting our essential workers, local restaurants and food insecure families. The award was accepted by Past President Bill Silver and President CD with support from fellow rotarians Joanna Gass, Sue Kraycer, Barbi Neumann Marty and Fay Cerullo.

Holidays Stuffed With Joy!

Brand new stuffed animals everywhere... especially for families in Liberty, NY.

Thank you Michael Luongo - Liberty High School Class of 1994 - for your generous donation of 100’s of stuffed animals from Athletes Unite Us.

Liberty NY Rotary Club member

Barbi Neumann Marty

and

Town of Wallkill Boys & Girls Club

Program Director, you are a great connector. Rotarian, LHS Business Teacher and Interact Advisor,

Dan Hart, it was fun spending the day picking up and delivering the stuffed animals. These goodies will put smiles on many faces when distributed for the holidays at the LHS Comfort Closet, The B&G Club Giving Tree distribution, Garnet Health and other community organizations.

Thank You to All Our Blood Donors!

Thank You to All Our Blood Donors!

Liberty Rotary Club, with support from the Monticello & Livingston Manor Rotary Clubs, held a successful blood drive on December 12, 2020. The drive yielded the following results:

Whole Blood: 29 donations

Double Red: 12 donations from 6 donors

Total Collections: 41 donations

Every donation has the potential to help up to 3 patients, therefore our drive has the potential to save up to 123 local area patients!

Our most sincere thanks goes out to the Liberty Elks Lodge #1545 for providing their facility for this important life-saving event. We truly could not have held this event without you. Also, great thanks to the professionals at The New York Blood Center for creating such a smoothly executed event, and for treating our donors with such professionalism and kindness. Extraordinary thanks to all the donors that gave of themselves(literally) to help restock New York's exceptionally low blood supply.

"Take Out Polio" Pin Fundraiser

The Liberty NY Rotary Club is conducting an exciting fundraiser supporting the "END POLIO NOW" Polio Plus Program. Let's all pitch in to eradicate Polio worldwide. Purchase your TAKE OUT POLIO "I Saved 200" or "I Saved 600" Polio Plus Pins TODAY!

Jaime Schmeiser Featured as Professional Woman in Business

Liberty Rotary Club’s own Jaime Schmeiser was one of the women selected to be featured in this year’s Sullivan County Democrat publication “Honoring Professional Women and Women in Business” for her work as President of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce.

As Jaime states in the Democrat’s article, she is “humbled and honored to have the opportunity to advance the mission of the Chamber and assist, support, promote and advocate on behalf of Sullivan County’s business community.” She further explains “I love making a difference in my community and working for a Chamber of Commerce gives me the ability to assist so many different organizations and businesses.”

In addition to her duties as President of the Sullivan County Chamber, Jaime works extensively to support and promote the efforts of the Liberty Rotary Club. Her dedication to our club’s mission and its efforts locally and globally has been exceptional. Jaime has proven to be a great Rotarian. Beyond her work directly connected to Rotary, Jaime has played an active role in Habitat for Humanity, Main Street USA, Economic Partnership, Head Start and Suicide Prevention. She has also served on county committees for Workforce Development, Physical Accessibility, the census and Sneak Peek Sullivan.

We are pleased and proud to call Jaime a member of our club and appreciative of all the good work she does through the chamber and our Rotary club.

A Peaceful Thanksgiving To All!

Gary Silver Receives 35th SYDA Foundation Community Service Award

Since 1986 the SYDA Foundation has sponsored this annual award to recognize and honor local citizens for outstanding community service. The selection committee, comprised of past award recipients and local civic leaders, chose Silver to receive this year’s award in recognition of his many years of service to the community of Sullivan County. Gary's’s primary service focus is leading projects to support the basic requirements of those in need, including addressing food insecurity; participating on humanitarian missions to provide clean-water filtration systems; and supporting organizations that coordinate and deliver emergency local and global disaster relief.

Liberty High School Interact Reports at 11/18 Meeting

We had the pleasure of hearing from the engaging and well spoken Officers of the Liberty High School Interact Club at our weekly meeting. Even in these difficult times of Covid-19, their club continues to make a positive impact and are getting projects done. Their report included updates on the High School Comfort Closet, The Thanksgiving Food Drive Coin Drop to provide food for the needy, and an effort to provide Chromebook and Ipod Insurance for local students that can not afford to do so on their own. The group, advised by Dan Hart, exemplifies how even as teens, huge positive impact can be brought to a community through "service above self". Thank you Liberty High School Interact Club!