Rotary Bestows $113,000 in Scholarships
Dr. D. Michael Hart
The Rotary Club of Westfield presented $113,000 in college scholarships to 14 Westfield students on June 8, 2022. Carl Peer, Esq. is the chair of the Rotary Club Scholarship committee and was the Master of Ceremonies.
Mr. Peer complimented the excellence of the Westfield public school system. All four of his kids went through the Westfield schools and two are quite successful in the arts. He also reviewed the three requirements to receive a Rotary scholarship: a strong academic background to demonstrate future success in college; Financial need; and Service to the community. Every single student who applies for a scholarship is taken seriously, and is interviewed.
The Rotary club has awarded $3.4 million in scholarships to 1,800 students since 1967. It is the largest scholarship program in Westfield.
The Rotary Club Scholarship Committee includes: Chair Carl Peer; Mary Ellen O’Boyle who has served on this committee for 26 years; incoming club President Tony LaPorta; Deirdre Gelinne; and Chung Kun Shih.
Club President Blake Width Esq. opened and closed the program. He also made a few remarks to explain what Rotary is and the projects we do. Rotary is a group of successful business men and women who want to give back to the community. Its primarily focus is to be a Service club, but also includes some business networking. The Rotary Club of Westfield is 101 years old. The main projects this year were to help homeless veterans, to feed the “food insecure” in town, to help the St. Joe’s Soup Kitchen in Elizabeth. International projects include collecting bicycles for the third world; building and supplying a medical clinic in Nigeria; and collecting books for the same Nigerian town which is building schools. During the Covid Pandemic many Rotarians volunteered to help, either administering the vaccine, or delivering food to help the front-line health care workers. We also obtained grants to purchase 10 ventilators for area hospitals.
Speakers included Dr. Raymond Gonzales, Rotarian and Superintendent of Schools; Mark Parmelee, Acting Mayor; Larry Darrow, Board President of the Westfield Foundation; Liz Ensslin, the Chair of the Westfield Rotary Club Foundation; Past President Bill Bonsall; and Past President and Past District Governor Dr. D. Michael Hart. Rotarian Chung Kun Shih was the photographer. Ciara Collins, the granddaughter of deceased Rotarian Nancy Jackson, was one of the presenters.
Dr. Michael Hart reviewed the history of the Rotary Club supporting students. From 1923 through 1944 the club made 400 loans to students. When the US entered WWII, everyone went to war, and no one applied for loans, so the program stopped. After the War, the GI bill educated 8 million returning veterans for free. After the GI Bill program ceased in 1956, the Rotary Club started helping students again, but switched the programs from loans to scholarships. In 1967 the club started its iconic fundraiser “Pancake Day, which is now called “Breakfast with the Bands” every March at the High School. In addition to the fundraisers, the club Foundation has received donations from 15 major donors. The Rotary Account has approximately 1.5 million dollars and is invested judicially through the professional stewardship of the Westfield Foundation. In addition to these two sources of income, the Rotary Club administers several scholarships for the Westfield Foundation.
The Rotary Club of Westfield meets the first three Tuesdays of the month at noon in Limani restaurant on North Ave. Guests are always welcome. For information check our website at www.westfieldrotary.com ; or contact secretary Dr. D. Michael Hart drmhart@yahoo.com
