It is September, and if you are a sports fan, you know what that means—fall baseball and football are here! The big question: Will this be Buffalo’s year?
Just as our favorite teams gear up for the season, this is a great time for all of us to show up for Rotary. If you haven’t been to a weekly meeting in a while, I encourage you to make the effort to join us. We have some excellent programs lined up this month:
September 11 – Our District Governor will be joining us for an inspiring update.
September 18 – Evening Social at the Kreusers’ home (5–8 p.m.), a relaxed chance to enjoy food, fellowship, and fun.
September 25 – Ray Defendorf will present on a Global Grant with Uganda, highlighting Rotary’s international impact.
This month is a perfect opportunity to re-engage with the club, connect with friends, and be inspired by the work of Rotary both locally and globally.
Much like our favorite teams, August was a month of teamwork, energy, and winning moments for our club. It was busy and rewarding—full of service, fellowship, and the wonderful celebration of community at our Family Festival. Each of you has shown the true spirit of Rotary through your commitment, generosity, and teamwork.
From the planning to the day-of efforts, every member played a role in making this year’s Family Fest a true highlight. Together, we proved that when Rotarians come together, great things happen—for our club, and more importantly, for the community we serve.
On Saturday, August 23, Newark Rotary hosted our annual Family Fest, and what a success it was! The weather could not have been better, welcoming hundreds of guests for a day filled with fun and fellowship.
Families enjoyed a wide variety of activities, including a bounce house, magician, live music, yard games, craft vendors, and plenty of food.
Our Silent Auction raised significant funds, thanks to the creativity and generosity of so many, as well as the tireless dedication of the Silent Auction Committee.
Most importantly, our club raised over $26,000 this year—an outstanding achievement that reflects the collective hard work and commitment of our members.
This month, we have the opportunity to gather in a different way! Instead of our regular noon meeting, we’ll enjoy an evening social at the Kreusers’ home.
📅 Date: September 18, 2025
🕔 Time: 5:00–8:00 p.m.
📍 Location: The Kreuser's
Come ready for a relaxed evening of food, fellowship, and fun. Please RSVP, bring a dish to pass, and enjoy connecting with fellow Rotarians outside of our usual lunch setting. If noon meetings don’t fit your schedule, this is the perfect chance to join in and connect with the club!
On Saturday, August 9th Norma attended the Annual Meeting of the Rotary Leadership Institute Northeastern America (RLI NEA) Full Board in Scranton Pennsylvania.
At dinner, Norma was presented with the Yvette Palmer Award. The Yvette Palmer Award is presented to a nominee who goes above and beyond in being of service to RLI and exemplifies:
1. Exceptional dedication to the RLI program
2. Long term involvement and commitment in one or many roles within the RLI program
3. Positive role model reflective of RLI
Norma started as Faculty in 2012 and continues as such up to the present. In 2013 – 2016, she was appointed as the Regional Vice Chair (RVC) helping the following districts in organizing RLI training, namely districts 7120, 7150, 7170 & 7190 and again in 2022-23.
Norma helped in the review and revision of the RLI bylaws in 2021-2022; helped in the review of the Graduate course for the past 2-3 years.
In 2016 – 2019, served as the District 7120 chair in charge of organizing the RLI sessions in the district. In 2022 -2025, Norma once again held the position of Site Chair.
We meet at the Newark American Legion. We also make our meetings available via Zoom. If you are not a club member and wish to watch us on Zoom, please email us for the link. All are welcome to attend our in-person meetings.
In August we inducted a new corporate member: Reliant Credit Union with Karen Hoad and Stephanie Weiss as its representatives.
