Service Above Self is the Rotary Motto, and all Rotarians are expected to participate in at least two (2) Rotary Club Committees and/or Projects as a means of fulfilling their membership service requirement. The Rotary Club of Flemington offers many different committees and projects to allow members many opportunities to provide service. These activities are divided into several distinct categories:
The following is a General Description of what each committee does:
ROTARY COMMITTEE DESCRIPTIONS:
MEMBERSHIP: This committee is responsible for recruiting new members, vetting them, orienting them and working to ensure their retention in the Club. They also oversee that a Paul Harris Fellow and Rotarian of Year are selected by prior recipients.
FAMILY OF ROTARY: This committee works to establish a sense of unity and belonging among all members. This is in times of need, such as ill-health, but during positive transitions and life events as well. This committee works to keep club members up to date on those not at meetings.
BARK IN THE PARK: A fund raiser held in June with attendee’s entering their dogs in a walk around town and contests to raise funds for the activities of the Club
BEERFEST: A new event, to be held in October, pairs breweries and food trucks in a fund raiser to raise funds for community needs. Participants receive a single tasting glass, which they use to sample many different kinds of beer.
SOUP COOK-OFF: This event, held in February annually, is a collective effort of all 5 Hunterdon County Rotary Clubs to solicit restaurants to enter a soup cook off with winners determined by the public vote and by the current Club President. Proceeds go to the County Food Pantries as selected by the committee.
TREE LIGHTING: This is a festive gathering to provide treats for youth at the annual Main Street Flemington Christmas Tree Lighting. It also serves the dual purpose of fellowship for members. This is our club’s oldest service project, which we have been doing since 1923.
DONATIONS: The committee receives a set amount annually from the club board and is tasked with reviewing donation requests and making recommendations to the full membership for donation awards. Typical donations are generally support area Youth, the Elderly or the Disabled.
FOOD PANTRY: The Flemington Area Food Pantry organization receives all happy dollars from the club. Food and cash donations are collected on the 1st Wednesday of every month to support feeding the hungry in our community.
PEDALS FOR PROGRESS: Every June, the club solicits donations of used bicycles and sewing machines that are gathered at a scheduled collection. We lower the seat, remove the pedals and make the bikes as compact as possible to take less space. At a later time, these bikes are later sent oversees to developing countries, where they are reconditioned by volunteers and distributed at low cost to poor working adults.
SCHOLORSHIP: This committee solicits applicants from the Hunterdon Central Regional High School (H.C.R.H.S.) and the Hunterdon County Polytech Career & Technical School to a determined number of $1500 scholarships annually. This committee is tasked with reviewing applicants and deciding the recipients.
SERVICE ACTION COMMITTEE (SAC): This committee is given a set amount by the board annually to assist county residents with emergency needs. The committee ensures the applicant is sustainable, and that services are not available elsewhere before deciding to make a monetary gift.
PUBLICITY: To ensure that the club receives recognition for the activities and community support it provides.
WEBSITE: This committee is to ensure the website is a source of information for the general public to access information about club activities; to be a reference tool to access stored information; and to contain a member’s only section with information for members only.