Stories

OCEAN CITY – A year ago, Rafa Cortes was a student in Ceuta, Spain. He had never been to the United States. 

He is now finishing up a year as an exchange student at Ocean City High School, and has traveled to New York City, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Pennsylvania.  Cortes also plans to travel to the West Coast with the Rotary Youth Exchange before his time in the United States is over. 

 

Full story here.

A Wonderful Weekend hosting our inbound Rotary Youth Exchange Students for 2014-15. What an amazing group of young adults... From Colombia, Poland, Spain, Germany, France, Japan, & Brazil. Thank You to all the RYE Committee Members & Host families that continue to help make this program possible. Rotary helps to promote World Peace and Understanding.... one student at a time.

Today we shared the first of many "Josh the Baby Otter" books with Pre-K students in Upper Township.

Please stay tuned for more details on this very important Literacy and Water Safety Program - and how you can help. Drowning is preventable. Josh helps to teach children to float like an otter and “stay away from water unless with an adult and to always swim with a buddy!”

Rotary is a worldwide network of inspired individuals who translate their passions into relevant social causes to change lives in communities... in this case, one child at a time.

 

On Tuesday, 19 August, we hit the Boardwalk to see the 8pm showing of Ocean City: The Musical!! at the Moorlyn Family Theatre.

A show for the entire family! This brand new original production is a comedic and musical celebration of what makes Ocean City, “America’s Greatest Family Resort”. Come experience the history of Ocean City in a fully hybrid production of song, dance, video and more, hear the tales of pirates, shipwrecks, carnivals and movie stars. A perfect event to celebrate everything that is Ocean City!

On Thursday, November 14th, 2013, and Wednesday, November 20th, 2013, members of the Rotary Clubs of Ocean City / Upper Township will provide dictionaries to every 3rd grade student in the Ocean City and Upper Township Primary Schools.  The dictionaries are purchased from the The Dictionary Project and are age appropriate.  As third grade is typically when children transition from learning to read to reading to learn, this is an ideal time for each student to receive a personal dictionary.  While distributing the books, we tell the students about Rotary, its motto and its projects locally and internationally. Our reward is the glowing faces of the students and the endearing letters of thanks in the weeks that follow from both the students and the teachers.

  

On October 24, 2013 members of The Rotary Club of Ocean City / Upper Township and The Interact Club of Ocean City High School joined together to participate in Ocean City New Jersey's 66th Annual Halloween Parade.  We had a great night of fellowship and fun as we joined the Ocean City community for this wonderful event! 

 

 

 

We were honoured to have an amazing speaker... the epitome of Service Above Self: Rocky Gannon

Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, while he was a junior at Ocean City High School in New Jersey, Rocky enlisted in the Army Air Force at the age of seventeen. He immediately entered pilot training. Soon after his high school class graduated, Rocky graduated from Pilot Training and became a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot. At age twenty he was flying the B-29 Super Fortress.

For the next 37 years, he flew six thousand hours in thirty-four different aircraft, from bombers to transports, from gliders to fighters. He has fifty military awards and decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, ten Air Medals, four Meritorious Service medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm. He was a combat pilot in World War II, Korea, the Belgian Congo and 387 combat missions in Vietnam. After World War II, he served three years in the occupation of Iwo Jima and Japan. Fifteen of his thirty-seven years of duty were served overseas. In 1975 he became the U.S. Air Force’s first Master Air Traffic Controller.

After his retirement from the Air Force in 1980, he became an International Aviation Consultant. Later he became the Executive Director of the Florence Regional Airport in Florence, SC, retiring in 1993.

He is active in the community, serving on nine boards and commissions. He is an Eagle Scout and a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award. In 2009, he received Scouting’s highest honor, the "Distinguished Eagle Award”. In 2001 he was named the South Carolina “Aviator of the Year” and inducted into the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame.

He has been married to the former Roberta Gause for 60 years. They have three grown children, ten grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

 

Nearly 50 Rotarians family and friends gathered to welcome our newest Rotary Exchange Students on Friday, September 6th. The Tuckahoe Inn provided an amazing BBQ and Chef Tyson's Baby Crab Cakes... the weather was picture perfect all weekend.

Uncle Larry continued his amazing service to Rotary Youth Exchange Program by organized this entire weekend - the first time these students met one another since arriving in the USA. Activities included Gillian's Water Park & Wonderland Pier, OC Boardwalk & Beach.

A big THANK YOU to the local hosts: Uncle Larry & Aunt Shirley, Cindy & Bob, Astrid & Joe, Peggy & Tim, Eva & Ted.


.

Moorlyn Family Theatre hosted over 30 Rotarians family and friends to a special evening.... Seth Bazacas provided an informative behind the scenes tour of the recent facility upgrades. It is the current vision of the Moorlyn Family Theatre to bring the excitement of live entertainment, quality cinema, and exciting music back to the Ocean City boardwalk - in a brand new way. Featuring fully digitized movie theatres, and a state of the art sound and lighting systems for live events, the Ocean City Tabernacle is ushering in a new era in the rich history of the Moorlyn Family Theatre. We were treated to a preview of Lee Daniels' The Butler ... and some of the youngest participants choose to see Planes.

The Butler tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man's life and family. Inspired by a True Story.

 

OCEAN CITY ROTARY participates in Bowl for Kid’s Sake

with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlantic & Cape May Counties

Sunday, April 1

3pm – 5pm

 

3 J’s in Wildwood
We raised over $920.00 dollars

My Fellow Rotarians: As you may recall, at the outset of this Rotary Year last July I included at the end of our weekly breakfast/dinner meetings a "Quotable Quote" and/or "Philosophical Ponderable." Subsequently and thankfully our worthy Sergeants-at-Arms (Rich G., Bill M. & Tommy S.), aka "Manny, Moe & Jack," "Larry. Moe & Curley," et al,  adopted this project and introduced a "Quotable" challenge to all our members. Indeed at our meetings since we have enjoyed and been blessed with some great quotes (philosophical. theological, humorous, sports and otherwise). At tonight's meeting Mike Bolicki submitted yet another great quote (from W. Churchill).  While our "Sgts" invite/select/coerce a member each week to give his/her quote, I'm sure it's an open game. At tonight's meeting we decided that the final "Quote Off" will be at at the last meeting of our Rotary Year, June 30; details to be decided. If you have not yet submitted your personally meaningful quote you have a few weeks to do so. The prize, if any, is yet to be determined, but the real prize is knowing that your fellow Rotaians found special personal meaning in your selected words of wisdom. Thank you all for your support of this meaningful and fun project. Pres. Jack 

No one party can fool all of the people all of the time; that's why we have two parties. ~ Bob Hope (1903 - 2003) ~

The Rotarian's 4-Way Test of the things we Think, Say, or Do....

For the summer months of July & August we'll meet:

Thursday MORNINGS 7am to 8am @

Uncle Bill's Pancake House

2112 Asbury Ave, Ocean City, NJ  08226 

(609) 398-7393

 

This year through the Ocean City-Upper Township Rotary Academic Achievement Program, 31 students were recognized for their excellence in middle and high school. These awards included 5 - $1,000 scholarship awards for high school seniors raised through fundraising by the Ocean City-Upper Township Club. The students were selected based on GPA from Upper Township Middle School, Ocean City Intermediate School, Cape May County Technical High School and Ocean City High School and honored at an awards dinner on June 12th at Greate Bay Country Club with their families, teachers and members of the Rotary club. Congratulations are in order for all these talented students!

 

Many thanks to all of the Rotary members and family who manned Alex's Lemonade stand.  

Attention all Rotarians:



Do you have an interesting story or need to tell our club of an event? If so, please send Ted or Sue the information and we will do our best to put your information on our club website.

Yours in Rotary Service,

Ted & Sue

 

The Rotaract Club of ACCC recently had its Induction Dinner at the Avalon Country Club. Local leaders of Rotary Clubs spoke about their clubs projects and participated in the ceremony. At this event, Tom Shaiko had the honor of inducting his granddaughter, Kelsey McCusker, into this branch of Rotary International.  At the conclusion of the ceremony, Kelsey was received the Distinguished Service Award for her leadership.

 

In September, Kelsey will be attending Nova Southeastern University with a leadership and academic scholarship award.

 

Caption for picture:

 

Tom Shaiko with granddaughter Kelsey McCusker at her induction into Rotaract. 

 

Caption for other picture:

 

Rotary Club leaders at the college induction: Tom Shaiko, Treasurer & Past President; Crys Papperman, Director, Mid-Jersey Cape RC; Claudia Kammer, President, Lower Towsnhip RC; Mike Bolicki, Rotaract Advisor.

 

Imagine being able to induct a grandchild into a service organization, after being a member of it for over 30 years?  Good for Tom!

I look forward to that day.

Mike Bolicki

 

CarolAnn "CAN-DO" Jeronimo makes her official visit to our club on Thursday, 09 Dec 2010.

Jayne Snyder (President) and Katee Blizzard (VP) of the Ocean City High School Interact Club gave us an excellent summary of their community service activities.

 

THANK YOU to all who supported our largest FUNdraiser of the year! "A Night at the Movies" theme provided for lots of Dancing with Kenny I Orchestra. Over 180 in attendance enjoyed the wonderful hors d'oeuvres & dinner at the RAM's HEAD INN!

Thousands of delicious delights were served at the 2010 Beach Feast on Tues, Aug 31 (5:30-8:30pm). This 3rd annual event was sponsored by AC Rotary Club and had over 200 in attendance and over 30 amatuer & professional chefs.

Our annual picnic at the Tuckahoe Inn marks the transition back to evening meetings at Greate Bay CC.

Rotary will be returning to Guatemala to help provide clean water to Maya school children and their families.

Over 3000 Rotarians, family & friends helped our local food banks restock their shelves and to END POLIO NOW by simply attending the Phillies game on 18 August

Summer may be coming to a close, but the warm weather continues.... Last Morning Meeting @ Ove's (02 Sept 2010)

 

   

Rest in Peace Past President Bob Buck. Bob was president of our club from July 2000 thru June 2001. He had also served as President of the Ocean City Tabernacle.

Della and Scott Brown (Noon Club)along with Bob Blutinger (Boyars Market) presenting $1,000 donation to Richard Grimes of the Ocean City Community Food Cupboard.

This section will be used to communicate some of the projects our club supports.

Rotary remains committed to eradicating Polio from the face of the earth.... "Hands Across the District" on 24 April encourages all Rotary Clubs to help raise awareness of Rotary in your local community and help to End Polio NOW. Pending approval from the City of OC, we hope to have an information table on the boardwalk to help raise awareness of Polio Eradication. Our Rotary District is helping clubs with PR and advertising of events across South Jersey on 24 April.

We have a winner!

Join in the fun and fellowship through Hands-On Projects! Rotary isn't a spectator sport!

First Haiti.... now Chile. Our club is again supporting Shelterbox USA efforts to provide emergency relief. (Note: ShelterBox Founder/CEO and fellow Rotarian, Tom Henderson, recently visited us at the Tuckahoe Inn.) Learn more about ShelterBox USA please Click Here

Rest In Peace John....

Our club participated in Dining with Rotary Chefs on Sunday, 31 Jan. The club sponsored two entries to this annual event... all proceeds going to the Rotary Foundation. Over 250 people turned out to enjoy the delicious dishes. Sue Burns & Bob Pierce prepared Bruchetta, and Eva Lands prepared Wine & Cheese Fondue. Sallie Godfrey, Ted Lands, Cindy Pierce, & several friends provided moral support... and helped graze the room in search of the best. The ballots were not yet counted.... Regardless, a FUN time was had by all!!!

No need to worry. ClubRunner secures all your private information using the latest security technologies.