Club Installs Officers, Honors Departed Members and presents High School Scholarships
The Rotary Club of Yonkers-East Yonkers installed it’s new slate of Officers for the Rotary Year 2016-17, at its Annual Installation Meeting on 29 June at the Westchester Hills Golf Club, White Plains. In attendance were club members and members of the families of the deceased members of the Club and families of the Scholarship winners. The new Officers are Mahbub Ahmad, President, Selly Vazquez, Vice-President, Alix Schnee, President-Elect, Peggy Murphy, Secretary and Christian Fassetta, Treasurer.
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The five members of the Club - all Past Presidents, who have recently passed on were also honored with plaques for their service and dedication. Members of 3 families those of Club Founder, Roy Letsen, Gus Nathan and Rich Bloom were present. Families of Winston Ross and Chuck Aitcheson could not attend.
The 3 Yonkers High School Seniors, winners of the 2016 Community Service Scholarships were also presented with their awards. Jason Shakespeare, graduating from Salesian High and going on to St. Bonaventure University was awarded the 2016 $1,000 Roy Letsen Memorial Scholarship. Gabriel Osei graduating from Yonkers High and going on to SUNY Binghamton was awarded the $1,000 Winston Ross/Rich Bloom Memorial Scholarship. Marcylin Morgan graduating from Roosevelt High and going on to Utica College was awarded the $500 K.M. Ahmed Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship funds will go directly to the colleges.
Outgoing Club President Rev. Dr. J. Loren Russell highlighted the achievements of the Club during the past year and emphasized the Service Above Self creed of Rotary Members. Past President Dave Schildwachter presented the outgoing President with a plaque in honor of his service. A video showing the major activities of the Club was screened.
Past District Governor Greg Arcaro administered the Oath of office to the new Officers. Incoming President Mahbub Ahmad thanked Rev. Russell for his service and dedication to the Club. Rotary is all about service, he said. “Different people and clubs do different things, support different causes, and have impact in different ways. The common denominator for over 1.2 million Rotarians, from almost every country, every culture on the planet, is that we are all striving to make our communities and world a better place.”
On behalf of the Club, Jeffrey Landsman thanked Nick and Phil Vallone of Yonkers who donated the school bus that the Club sent to children in Ebola-ravaged Liberia.
The Rotary Club of Yonkers-East Yonkers was chartered in 1920 and has provided opportunities for education, built classrooms and playgrounds, has helped almost eradicate Polio, sent books to Costa Rican Children. Locally, the Club has given out scholarships, pencils, dictionaries and books, read to kids and provided grants to local community organizations for projects benefiting youth, seniors and the community. It has sent a school bus to children at the African Dream Academy in Ebola-ravaged Liberia, and built a playground in Yonkers School 9.