West Grove-Avondale Rotary - Avenues of Service

The essence of Rotary is embodied in the theme SERVICE ABOVE SELF. For the West Grove-Avondale Rotary Club no aspect of Rotary is more important than Community Service. Our club members are actively involved in making our community a better place and a better place to live. While we have diverse projects of a specific purpose from time to time, our continuing efforts include:

YOUTH PROGRAMS

Student of the Month

Our club is proud to recognize one excellent student at the Avon Grove High School each month. Students are identified based on their academic achievement and their participation in extracurricular and service projects. On the third Thursday of each month, that month's student and parents are invited to join us at our regular meeting. The student is asked to speak with our members to describe his/her accomplishments and activities. We also publicly commend the students for the efforts.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) RYLA

This program of Rotary International is operated at the local level by District 7450. It provides an opportunity for our club to nominate outstanding young people to attend this leadership training event. Our club selects and provides scholarship funds to individuals who are actively serving their community and are also superior students.

Interact

In the fall of 2008, we began affiliating with the service club of Avon Grove High School. An Interact club is in many ways like a junior Rotary club except that the members are high school students who are serving others where they live and go to school. We hope to formalize this relationship during the coming year and to allow our young people to join with thousands around the world in the Interact program.

Rotaract

The West Grove-Avondale Rotary Club actively sponsors and supports the Rotaract club that gathers at Lincoln University. These college-aged students develop their own projects that will benefit other students, the university, or the community. The group was re-chartered in September, 2008 and is off to a dynamic start.

Dictionary Project

During 2008-9, our club members purchased and distributed to individual third and fourth grade students more than 800 dictionaries. These students attended the Penn London Elementary School, Avongrove Charter School, and Assumption BVM School. We are striving to assure that every student has a dictionary for their personal use at home or school at the time they enter third grade.

Study Buddies

Since there are many disadvantaged students in our club's area, our members support low income high school students through the purchase of back packs for the Study Buddy School Supply Drive.

West Grove-Avondale Rotary Scholarship

Each year our club awards a scholarship to a senior at Avon Grove High School based on community service and scholarship.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

The Bridge

In addition to financial contributions, our members volunteer time each month to assist in the organization, storage, and distribution of the food and clothing that The Bridge provides for needy families.

Books and Bordeaux

Our club annually conducts a gala dinner and auction supports the Avon Grove Library's literacy program and also service projects of our Rotary club. In the past four years, we have raised approximately $70,000 for the library. During 2009, that event will be held on Saturday, March 21st.

Avon Grove Christmas Programs

We participate in the Avon Grove Christmas Basket Program. Christmas toys are collected and given to Oxford Neighborhood Services which provides them to families in need. We also actively support the Christmas food distribution and Christmas dinner that are held each year at the Nazarene Church.

West Grove Christmas Tree

Our members donate the ornaments and decorate the communityChristmas tree that brightens the center of West Grove.

Easter Egg Hunt

Each year we purchase plastic eggs and candy that are hidden for a community-wide Easter egg hunt. Thousands of eggs are found by delighted children. This year the event will be at 10:00 AM on Saturday, April 11th.

Pancake Breakfast for Volunteer Fire Companies

The West Grove-Avondale Rotarians are delighted to join the local Lions Club in the annual pancake breakfast. The proceeds of this event benefit the West Grove and Avondale fire companies. Join us this year from 6 to 10 AM on Sunday, May 3rd.

Platoon Partners

The club has "adopted" a platoon of servicemen and women that is serving our country in perilous conditions. On the first Thursday of each month, the Rotarians bring various items and non-perishable food for shipment to the platoon members. We had provided and shipped more than 1,200 pounds of goods to our overseas troops as of the end of 2008. The 56th Stryker Brigade, headquartered in southeastern Pennsylvania, has been adopted by our club this year. It is commanded by Col. Marc Ferraro and is training in Louisiana to depart for Iraq this Fall.

Fall Fest

In the past, the Fall Fest has been a major fundraiser for our club. It provided activities, entertainment, vendors, food and low-key rides for the enjoyment of the community.

Golf Outing and Chili Fest

In 2009, we are holding our first golf outing. We hope to have 100 golfers and raise funds for our many club projects. It will be held on Friday, May 22nd at Chisel Creek and will be highlighted by one million dollar hole-in-one shootout for holders of the Superticket. Contact Dan Danese for further information, 610-255-0697.

GUNDAKER FOUNDATION PROGRAMS

The Gundaker Foundation of Rotary District 7450 is a non-profit, charitable foundation that supports the efforts of the district and the clubs in these five areas:

Youth Exchange

The district Youth Exchange committee is partially funded by Gundaker and it provides coordination and activities for exchange student pasticipants to and from our district,

National Grants

Gundaker provides matching grants to individual Rotary clubs to help support the efforts to improve the local communities or to assist with catastrophies i nother parts of our country.

International Grants

The matching grants in the international service area are designed to stimulate and support the projects of our local Rotary clubs in District 7450 with clubs from less-advantaged parts of our world.

Undergraduate Grants

Scholarships are offered to outstanding juniors and seniors in colleges and universities. These students may either attend school in District 7450 or reside in this district and atttend in another location.

Graduate Grants

Competitive awards for graduate students are available to superior students in colleges and universities. The students may be local residents or matriuculated in local graduate schools.