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Raffle Tickets Available to Support Scholarships

Ticket sales are underway for our Dollars for Scholars raffle that funds our annual scholarship program.

Tickets are $20 and are available from any club member, by email at president@rhrotary.org, or through a message on our club’s Facebook page. Checks, cash or Venmo accepted.
There are 12 chances to win, with ticket drawings each Tuesday evening from April 1 through June 17 at Killarney's in Hamilton. Weekly prizes range from $350 to $1,000.

Our Rotary Club has funded more than $50,000 in scholarships for area high school students over the past nine years.

Club Welcomes Students; New Member

At our meeting on March 7, we welcomed our latest exceptional group of Students of the Month as well as our latest new member - Tom Park - the 13th in less than a year.
We heard from Isabelle Kuchie, Hamilton West; Rosalie “Ro” Horchuck, Steinert; and Aidan Lipman, Nottingham, who impressed us with their academic achievements and participation in clubs. A fourth student, Suhrith Kesaraju of Robbinsville H.S., was unable to attend.
The application period for scholarships offered by our club ends on March 15. To apply, visit rhrotary.org.
In taking the oath of membership, Tom Park described our club as “really robust. I’m glad I found you.” Tom is VP of Client Relations for Diamond Business Communication in Hamilton and has an extensive record of community service.

Father Center Offers Critical Help

Our guest speaker on March 7 was Bryan Evans, Chief Executive Officer of the Father Center of New Jersey. He told us about the innovative programs and services his agency provides to help men gain the skills and meet the responsibilities of fatherhood.

And through alarming statistics - including that 85 percent of youth in prison come from fatherless homes and that girls with absent fathers at home are 7x more likely to become pregnant as teenagers - he let us know why that assistance is so critical. For more visit thefathercenter.org.

Nonprofits Share Successes, Challenges at Summit

It was nice to hear the positive reviews of the Rotary Club-sponsored summit on March 1 that brought together two dozen nonprofit groups for an engaging discussion of common challenges and opportunities.
More than 100 people attended the summit at RWJ Fitness and Wellness Center. Keynote speaker Barrett T. Young, CEO of the Rescue Mission of Trenton, led the Q&A with audience members and our three panelists - Sarah Steward, CEO, HomeFront; Nathalie Nelson, CEO, Younity (formerly Womanspace); and Karen Andrade-Mims, former CEO, The Father Center of NJ.
The need to collaborate and adapt to the changing landscape of fundraising, technology and other basic functions were key themes.
Thanks to Kalpana Patel and her team for a well-planned event.

Mayor Highlights New Municipal Complex

At our Rotary Club meeting on February 28, Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin shared details of the new municipal complex scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2026. Groundbreaking took place in October 2024.
The complex will provide modern, efficient and accessible facilities for local government and the school district, replacing two buildings that together are more than 200 years old. The mayor walked us through a publicly-available presentation that outlines the features of the building, the need for the complex, and the financing involved. See the presentation here - https://www.hamiltonnj.com/DocumentCenter/View/3944/New-Municipal-Building-Presentation---Spiezle-Architectural-Group-PDF?bidId=

Three New Members Continue Rapid Club Growth

With three new members in February, the club has now increased its membership by 12 over the past nine months.
The newest members are Lauri and Chris Harbison and Berta "Cheena" Lima.
The Harbisons are the second husband and wife team to join the club in this Rotary year.
Lauri works as the Executive Director of Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County.
Chris, in his most recent position as Executive Director at Bristol Myers Squibb, led a scientific team supporting clinical oncology research.
Cheena is a real estate agent with Weichert who also works with Capital Health.
Welcome Lauri, Chris and Cheena!
Club President Joe Cavone invited “anyone with a generous heart” to consider joining the club, calling membership the “lifeblood” of Rotary.

Refugee Process Outlined at Club Meeting

Refugees who have legally entered the country after undergoing a U.S. and U.N. 11-step vetting process of up to three years have been helped when they arrive in this area by the nonprofit group Alliance for Refugees.
Boyd Hannold, the group’s Housing Director and Community Liaison and Senior Pastor Emeritus at Princeton Alliance Church, spoke to our club on February 21 about their work in resettling 135 refugees in 31 families in the group’s year and half of existence.
Boyd said the new federal administration has placed a 90-day hold on the refugee program and its reimbursement funding for evaluation. For more information, visit boyd@allianceforrefugees.org.

Celebrating 20 Years of Miracle League

Fun time for Rotarians, spouses and friends at the Miracle League of Mercer County's 20th anniversary kickoff bash on February 1. The Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton helped start the Miracle League by raising more than $300,000 to create the initial all-access field for ballplayers with special needs.
Rotarian and Miracle League Commish Dan Sczweck has taken the league to new levels with year-round activities and the Rotary Club continues to provide the league with substantial support each year.

Helping Students Thrive

Its name has changed from Camp Fire NJ to Embright Education, but its long-time mission remains the same - providing social and emotional learning programs for students in local schools.
Embright Board Vice President Celeste Avery told Rotarians on January 31 that mental health issues in children have risen sharply, making Embright’s programs, particularly in the early grades, more important than ever.
The organization wants to significantly expand its presence in area K-12 schools, including those in Hamilton and Robbinsville. To learn more, visit www.embrighteducation.org.
Embright also sponsors the Teens on Fire program at Steinert High School, which this year has 130 members, according to the program’s leader, Kailey Conner, who said the program does food drives, assists other non-profits and helps children with mental and physical disabilities, offering its members the values of friendship, teamwork, leadership and empathy.

A Generous Community Stocks Winter Survival Kits

An amazing response from the community and our Rotary Club members to our Winter Survival Kit collection to benefit those served by the Rescue Mission of Trenton and Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County.
Bag after bag, box after box filled with hats, gloves, socks and scarves, hygiene products and single-serve foods were donated at multiple drop-off points and then assembled on January 17 at our Rotary Club meeting and delivered to the organizations.
The drive was coordinated by one of our newer club members, Marie Howard, along with Interfaith Caregivers Executive Director Lauri Harbison and Rotarians Sharon Lucidi and Chris Merlino.
A huge thank you to all who donated items to help those in need during these cold months.

‘Exciting’ Business Grant Programs Now Available

Anthony Carabelli, Jr., Director of the Mercer County Office of Economic Development (and Hamilton Councilman) outlined for Rotarians the county’s one stop shop for all business needs as well as two “exciting” county grant programs that launched on January 1.
Details on the business assistance, including info and a link to pre-register for the new Revitalize & Grow Grant Program and the Business Builder Rebate Grant Program are available at https://www.mercercounty.org/work/economic-development.

Rotary’s Polio Fight Continues

At our final meeting of the calendar year, our club was reminded in very personal terms of how important it is to continue Rotary’s flagship fight to eradicate polio around the world.
Rotarian John Nanni of Delaware, a polio survivor and a leader in Rotary’s PolioPlus campaign, said the wild poliovirus is still stubbornly present in two countries - Pakistan and Afghanistan - despite decades of work by Rotary and other organizations to wipe if off the map, an effort that has saved an estimated 21 million people from the crippling disease.
Our Rotary Club and individual members contribute thousands of dollars each year to the campaign. For more information about Rotary’s work to eradicate polio, visit www.endpolio.org.

Toys for Younity; Food for Families

Officials from Younity, formerly Womanspace, attended our meeting on December 20 to collect the more than 70 unwrapped toys donated by Rotarians at our holiday party earlier this week.
Younity CEO Nathalie Nelson and COO Susan Victor thanked the club for its long-standing partnership with the organization. The non-profit serves victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Following the meeting, four Rotarians and a spouse packaged food for 1,600 meals at the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank in Ewing.

EarlyAct Returns to Morgan School

The EarlyAct service club is back at Morgan Elementary School in Hamilton!
In 1998, the school and our Rotary Club established the first EarlyAct program, launching an idea that spread around the world with EarlyAct clubs forming as far away as Africa and Australia.
Designed to promote community service and leadership among young people, EarlyAct has returned to Morgan stronger than ever after a five-year hiatus.
The 22 officers and members gathered this week under the direction of faculty advisors Jenna Mihalow and Matt Petrowski, who was a member of that first club. The club is in the midst of its first school-wide project - collecting change to donate to the Hamilton Animal Shelter.

Tree Program Branches Out

For the third consecutive year, the Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton planted trees to honor its communities and promote conservation. In consultation with the townships, club members on December 10 planted an American Elm on the grounds of the former Miry Run Golf Club in Robbinsville and a Japanese Maple in Veterans Park in Hamilton.

The installations bring the total to seven trees in the past three years as part of a program coordinated by Rotary Club President Joe Cavone and approved on an annual basis by the club’s Board of Directors.

Bike Drive Aids Boys and Girls Club

More than 60 bikes - from old clunkers to ready-to-ride beauties - were donated in our Rotary’s Club’s 2024 bike drive on November 23.
The bikes will be refurbished and resold by the BGC Bike Exchange with the proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County.
Thank you to all who donated bikes and to our partners, the Robbinsville Police Department and Friendly’s in the Foxmoor Shopping Center, Robbinsville.
Hats off also to Bruno’s Bicycles of Allentown, the Robbinsville Recreation Department, the BGC Bike Exchange and our Rotary volunteers, particularly Mark Setaro, who organized the drive, and Steve Woods, who loaned his truck for the cause.

Sending Heroes Home for the Holiday

The club's Foundation on November 22 donated $5,000 to the Mercer County Military Action Council (MCMAC), nearly all of which will be used for MCMAC’s Send A Hero Home for the Holidays program. The initiative, which already has 300 applicants, pays travel expenses for junior service members who otherwise could not afford to return home during this special time of the year. The donated funds represent part of the proceeds from the club’s successful Flags for Heroes display earlier this month. In the photo (l-r) : Bill Cleave, MCMAC vice chair; Alan Gilmore, MCMAC secretary; Regina Arcuri, MCMAC chair; and Joe Cavone, Rotary Club president.

Helping Out at the Food Bank

Following the Rotary meeting on November 22, a group of Rotarians headed to the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank to help with food sorting. In all, the team of six loaded 46 boxes of grains and canned vegetables after separating three large bins of miscellaneous food items. Pictured left to right - Andre Caldini, Tony Rosica, Paul Neu, Tom Damm and Nev Greenough. Missing from the photo - Linda Gearren.

Ceremony Marks 5th Annual Flags for Heroes Display

More than 175 people joined us on a spectacular day to celebrate the 2024 Flags for Heroes display on the grounds of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton.
Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa Hilton and Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin headlined the speakers marking our 5th Annual flags event - this year featuring 200+ flags recognizing local heroes. The flags will be on display with attached hero messages until November 16.
Rotary Club President Joe Cavone led the ceremony which also included remarks by Mercer County Military Action Council Chair Regina Arcuri and RWJUH Hamilton Chief Administrative Officer Lisa Breza, a flag salute led by Scouts from Troop 91B and Troop 91G of Robbinsville Hamilton, inspirational messages from Sewa International Central Jersey volunteers, the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner by Jenn (Furman) Dinan and the playing of Taps by bugler John Periano.

TASK: Meals and Much More

The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) serves about 12,000 meals a week to patrons at its Escher Street location in Trenton and at satellite sites in Mercer County. But as TASK Donor Engagement Manager Dana C. Jones explained to Rotarians on November 1, TASK offers a lot more than hot meals.
Dana informed us of services TASK provides to encourage self sufficiency and improve the quality of life of patrons. Among them are adult education, creative arts, a culinary academy, warm clothing, help with preparing for and finding a job, hygiene products, and connection to vital resources.

For more on TASK and its volunteer and donation opportunities, visit https://trentonsoupkitchen.org/

District Governor Impressed with Club’s Progress

Our Rotary Club had an opportunity to shine on October 11.
We were able to showcase our strong momentum as we welcomed the leader of our 74-club Rotary district - District Governor Jeannie Tsukamoto.
Club President Joe Cavone reported our gain of eight new members over the past six months (with more in the wings) and he outlined a busy schedule of community service activities, including our upcoming Flags for Heroes display.
Jeannie thanked the club for its “impressive work” in the community and for its success in growing membership. “Not all the clubs are doing what you’re doing,” she said, offering additional strategies for introducing others to the rewarding aspects of joining Rotary.

Club Honored with Assembly Proclamation

A big thank you to Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy for serving as our guest speaker on August 30 and presenting the club with an Assembly proclamation for our decades of work in the community.
Assemblywoman McCoy gave us an update on her key legislative actions, including working with her 14th Legislative District colleagues to secure grants for public safety needs in Hamilton and Robbinsville.
Another highlight of the meeting was the swearing in of our 6th new member in the past five months - Mark Talbott. Welcome, Mark!

What it Means to Be a Rotarian

A bevy of guests at our August 9 meeting heard Rotarians offer their thoughts on what it means to be a member of the club.
Said one, whether you’ve had a good week or a rough one, there’s something comforting about coming to a Friday morning meeting and knowing you’re among friends.
Similarly, another said, “It’s like Cheers, you walk in and everyone knows your name.”
Others focused on the opportunities to serve the community, particularly those in need. For example, Rotarians will be receiving food items in front of Foley’s Family Market in Hamilton on August 10 from 10-4 for the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, and we’re busy collecting backpacks and school supplies for students at Wilson Elementary School.
The international reach of Rotary, including a major effort to eradicate polio, was also cited as an attractive aspect of the organization, as well as local programs like Flags for Heroes.
Club President Joe Cavone boiled it down to one word - hope. “We give people hope, We’re in the hope business.”

Gavel Passed as Club Celebrates Progress; Looks Ahead

The Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton held its annual Installation Dinner at Tessara Restaurant in Hamilton on June 20. Incoming Club President Joe Cavone received the gavel from outgoing Club President George Ott. Joe outlined his plans for a “magical” year beginning July 1, while George recounted a year of remarkable progress by the club in serving the community. George presented former Club President Kalpana Patel with the distinguished Paul Harris Fellow Recognition pin for her outstanding efforts in 2023-24. Read more about the Robbinsville Hamilton Rotary Club's new president.

More Than Three Decades of Service

Videos Highlight Club’s Service Above Self

The Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton is featured in a series of videos marking the club’s first 30 years. Since 1992, the club has made a positive difference in our communities. We started as a spinoff of the Hamilton Rotary Club and took little time to establish our own identity as a club of action.
Check out the videos below: