At the regular Rotary meeting on Tuesday, noon, April 11, 2023, the members of the Rotary Club of Westfield heard about how a young man is making a difference to help people.
John El-Maraghy was a student at Rutgers and noticed that during covid, the men’s shelter in New Brunswick shut down the showers. He and his wife decided to do something about that to help the homeless men in New Brunswick. They started a 501c3 to provide a mobile van which offered the homeless men the ability to take showers. It also includes a barbershop. They started in New Brunswick once a week, but have expanded to include Newark once a month, and hope to expand to Hoboken and Orange. After the shower, they offer a care package including socks, T shirts and toiletries.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at a regular Rotary Club meeting, Breakfast with the Bands event chair Barbara Frantz bestowed the Golden Pancake Award to Rotarian Warren Rorden.
This award is given every year to the individual who exhibits dedication above and beyond normal expectations for the annual Rotary fundraiser called Breakfast with the Bands, formerly called Rotary Pancake Day.
The proceeds of this fundraiser go to college scholarships and community grants. Musical groups form Westfield High School, Roosevelt Middle School and Edison Middle School performed. Last year the Rotary Club of Westfield awarded $117,400 in college scholarships and $26,000 in Community Grants. The Club has been running this event every year since 1967. Approximately 400 people attended the event this year.
The Rotary Club would like to especially thank the sponsors of the event: Mary Ellen O’Boyle - Prominent Properties Sotheby’s; Children’s Specialized Hospital; Fanwood Animal Hospital; Phelan, Frantz, Ohlig & Wegbreit, Esq; Dr Shruti Shukla, DDS at Great Smiles General Dentistry; Westfield Area YMCA; Raymond Kostyack, Wells Fargo Advisors; Steven Lowe; Maxwell’s Furniture Restoration; Northfield Bank; Spencer Savings Bank; Star Painting; Warren and Ginny Rorden; Westfield Financial Planning; and David & Shuang Wroe.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at a regular meeting, the Rotary Club of Westfield inducted two new members: Vincent Luongo and Michael Kaufman.
Rotary is an organization of successful local business people who want to “give back” to the community. The Rotary Club of Westfield has projects to address local hunger issues, help homeless veterans, collect used bicycles for the third world, raise funds for Ukrainian refugees in eastern Europe, accept exchange students from Brazil and Australia, provide scholarships to Westfield college students and community grants to other local organizations.
On Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, at a regular Rotary Club of Westfield meeting, Westfield Fire Chief Michael Duelks and Battalion Chief Brian Piccola spoke to the members about fire safety and the various roles the fire department plays in town.
Police Chief Christopher Battiloro spoke to the Rotary Club of Westfield on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, about issues in Westfield. The number one crime issue in Westfield is car thefts. His advice is to lock your cars, take your keys inside and lock your house.
According to the chief, thieves will typically enter Westfield in a stolen car with four or five occupants, including minors. They go up and down the streets, checking door handles for unlocked vehicles. They do not break into cars, and do not “hot wire” them. When they find luxury cars open with the key fob inside, the thief does not need to find the fob - they just push the start button, start the car, and drive off. There have also been incidents where thieves used an unlocked vehicle with no fob inside, to open garage doors gaining access to the home for theft of the keys and vehicles. Due to the combination of a large concentration of luxury vehicles and easy access to highways, Westfield is the perfect place to steal cars according to the chief. He said that Newark is the center of the car thief rings, where the cars are brought and loaded onto ships to be sent overseas for sale.
Chief Battiloro says that he has taken measures to reduce car theft. First is public awareness- he asks residents to lock their cars and houses. Next, the town has mounted 15 license plate readers around town, which are able to scan the license plates and report stolen cars coming into town to the police department. Since they started this process, the car thefts have dropped by 50%.
Marilyn Ryan was presented with the prestigious Jean Harris Award at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Westfield. This award is given to a non- Rotarian who does exceptional service to the community. It is a District wide award. The Rotary District 7475 comprises of 77 clubs through 9 counties in northern New Jersey.
District Awards Chair David Breidinger, from the Rotary Club of Trenton, presented this award on June 7, 2022.
Past President and Rotary Club Foundation Chair Liz Ensslin nominated Marilyn because she has worked closely with her for many years through the Rotary’s food program to feed the hungry. Her remarks are as follows:
“Marilyn has dedicated her entire life to those in need. After earning a bachelor’s degree in education from Seton Hall University in South Orange, Marilyn embarked on a 20-year career as a teacher in the parochial school systems in both Elizabeth and Linden. She returned to school and became a licensed practical nurse, working in the Rahway Hospital Pediatrics Unit for the next 12 years. In 1985, she assumed the position of Pastoral Associate at Parish Community of Saint Helen in Westfield. In this role Marilyn coordinates many Outreach Programs and Eucharistic Ministry. Marilyn is the coordinator of the Helping Hands and Hearts Program, which is designed to provide temporary financial or material assistance to those in need in our community. Marilyn serves on the advisory board of Sister Pat’s Camp for Kids with Cancer in New York and is an Emeritus Member of the Board of St. Joseph’s Social Center in Elizabeth. What is most important to know about Marilyn is that she is truly one of the most selfless people we know. The poor, the hungry and those in need always come first. She is the driver of our Soup Kitchens, Food Pantry, Service Auction and many other ministries.
When it comes to her work, Marilyn leads by example. She empowers others to lead their ministries for the poor and disadvantaged, but she also never hesitates to roll up her sleeves, pack Thanksgiving Baskets or deliver gifts to the poor. Marilyn knows first-hand that to “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Her legacy is not only the work she does herself but the work she supports and empowers others to do. While we think of Marilyn delivering to those in need, we also deeply value the support she provides to members of our community who are suffering from illness, grief or a family crisis. She has truly touched the hearts of many and taught us how to serve others and be an advocate for others less fortunate than ourselves.”
Many guests attended the meeting and gave Marilyn accolades for her dedicated service to the community and surrounding avenues.
The Rotary Club of Westfield meets the first three Tuesdays of the month at noon at Limani Restaurant on North Ave. Guests are always Welcome. For information check the Rotary Club website at www.westfieldrotary.org or contact secretary Michael Hart by email drmhart@yahoo.com
Photo: left to right: District Awards Chair David Breidinger, Jean Harris Award recipient Marilyn Ryan, Rotary Club Foundation Chair Liz Ensslin.
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