COME VISIT OUR MEETING.  ALL ARE WELCOME

We have over 40 club members living, working and serving in Norristown, East Norriton, West Norriton, Lower Providence and beyond. This is our 'once a week' clubhouse where our members gather to network, plan projects, solve problems, make friends and have fun the first four Thursdays of each month.  We're a very active club.   We meet at the beautiful 'Jeffersonville Golf Club'.  Dress is casual / business casual.  Optional lunch is served by the Burgess Restaurant on the grounds for $15. We have a different speaker talk every week for about 25 minutes, complete a short business meeting and we are always conclude in one hour.   Speaker topics include education, local interest and member development. 

Guests and visitors are always welcome to visit. Below you can browse some of the many community service projects and see us in action.

What is Rotary ?
With a vast network of 1.4 million Rotarians worldwide,
there is no challenge too large.
We collect and recycle used bicycles year round to be used as family transportation where they have no automobiles.
Do Rotary clubs have an impact on the local Community?
YOU BET THEY DO !!
Recent Club Service Projects
KEVIN STEELE - MONTCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY

 
KEVIN STEELE-  District Attorney of Montgomery County.
 
 
 
  Last Thursday, The ROTARY CLUB OF NORRISTOWN was honored to have as our guest speaker, KEVIN STEELE, the District Attorney of Montgomery County. Steele is , of course, the DA for the whole county, but he stated that their public safety efforts focus mainly on the Norristown and Pottstown areas as that is where the greatest need exists. He tailored his talk on the programs that are designated as "Investing In Norristown", highlighting the programs and staffing dedicated to solving problems in the Norristown community.  
 
 
 
He started with the Mission Statement for the DA's office:

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

The Montgomery County Office of the District Attorney is dedicated to achieving justice and protecting the safety of our community. Our goal is to keep Montgomery County safe by effectively working with the entire law enforcement community in fairly investigating and aggressively prosecuting criminal activity throughout our County.

 

 

 

  To implement this , they have concentrated on making determined commitment to public safety which, along with trust and quality of life form the foundation of a strong community. Kevin listed several programs that they have put in place to accomplish these goals. 

COMMUNITY JUSTICE UNITS

  Separate prosecutors for the two main areas: Norristown and Pottstown. These units have the assignment to focus on their communities, work with local police and residents, and use a vertical prosecution process- handling cases from start to finish.

 

TARGETED LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT

  Task forces concentrating specifically on gun violence, drug trafficking, and repeat violent offenders. 

 

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT INVESTMENTS TO IMPROVE SAFETY

  His office has invested in modern technology designed to prevent crime and enhance investigations. They reflect a   commitment to smart ,responsible policing. The major additions in this area are the ShotSpotter deployment started in 2023. This system detects gun shots and pinpoints the location of the sounds and notified authorities. The second addition is the Drone Program  that assists in searches and documents incidents.  It also acts as a first responder after receiving alerts from ShotSpotter.

 

BUILDING TRUST THROUGH PRESENCE AND PARTNERSHIP

  Making a visible presence in the community with programs such as National Night Out, after school activities for students, social justice panels, youth aid panels, and volunteering to name a few.  Many of the programs stress helping youth stay out of trouble.

 

RESTORATION , ACCOUNTABILITY, AND SERVICE

The main project here is the ARD program that emphasizes restorative outcomes thru community service for persons convicted of non-violent crimes. This can total to more that 2000 hours of service per year.

 

Kevin reminded us that he is the chief enforcement officer for the county and wants to hear from us with any concerns, needs, or suggestions. Below is the QR code for his office.

 

Thank you District Attorney Kevin Steel for visiting us.

 

 

 

Day of Service at Mitzvah Circle
The word 'mizvah' means gift.  We had the opportunity to visit and volunteer for Mitzvah Circle this week, located near Montgomeryville, Mitzvah Circle operates in a renovated warehouse. It is not a religious organization and anyone in need is eligible for help. They are an extremely efficient operation with a huge team of volunteers to help run the day to day operations.  To date they have received over 5.3 million donated gifts and served over a half million people.   'Every day, families in our communities face poverty, homelessness, serious illness, and unexpected hardships. When a crisis hits, Mitzvah Circle delivers diapers, clothing, period supplies, and more—ensuring that parents can work, children can go to school, and no one has to choose between food and hygiene.',  according to their mission. Our team worked the morning shift. We were trined briefly and then we did clothing picking. We completed a few orders drew from stocked shelves of donated clothing and needs. While volunteers are picking there are other teams sorting incoming gifts and stocking the picking shelves. It is very well organized and efficiently run. Anyone wishing to volunteer can reach out to them at 267-649-7610
 
 
 
 
 
 
2026 Grant Recipients
Congratulations to our 2026 Pancake Breakfast Grant Winners. Over $18,000 was awarded to three local charity organizations. Representatives receiving the checks are pictured below:
- Project Libertad (maj award) - Christy Gartner & Mary Kay Terlesky
- E-Waste Gang - Rashaad Bates & Avery Manning
- Norristown Page Turners - Kate Jaworski & Angela Smith
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Congratulations winners. And thank you to our event sponsors and volunteers.
 
 
 
 
 
The  'Little Sharing Libraries are Almost Ready
The board elected to erect 3 more community  'Little Sharing Libraries' in the community.
President Alan volunteered to construct the structures.  There will be three, one in East Norriton, West Norriton and Norristown.
Construction began back in March with the initial wooden pieces for each unit.  Naturally there are a lot of detailed processes to build even one. Once you have a floor, roof and sides, doors must be constructed with a frame, hinges and glass panels. Alan has spent considerable time building these things. Last weekend club members met at Alan's house to primer and paint the units.
 
Seven Rotarians attended for the painting party and completed the painting of each unit. Final assembly will follow and the club can proceed to install and dedicate the libraries.  Below are some photos along the way:  
 
This was in March as construction began in Maniyunk. 
 
 
 
 
 
Here are the units being painted.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Shane Kunkel (new member) and his wife Bradley picked up brushes and joined the team.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
WINE TASTING FUNDRAISER FOR OUR GARDEN PROJECT
 
 
 
 
Last Tuesday, we gathered for a special event at the Evansburg Vinyards for a wine tasting party that raised funds for our Padden Park garden project. 
Thanks to Diane Helm and Judy Bucko for putting this event together.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR FOOD COLLECTION
On February 14th, the Rotary club and Redners Fresh Food Market hosted a 'Love Your Neighbor' food collection to benefit the Salvation Army.  Rotarians took two hour shifts at the entrance handing out a one page list of needed items for incoming shoppers.  Shoppers who wanted to help were invited to take a list and add items on the list to their regular shopping. At the exit they could deposit donated food items into waiting shopping carts.
 
Donations were wildly successful, we distributed about 150 item lists and collected 13 or 14 shopping carts full of donated food. A few people donated cash to the sum of $285 which was used to purchase more food.
 
All in all, it was a good day for the Salvation Army and the hungry.
 
 
 
 
TRUNK OR TREAT AT E NORRITON
The Club was well represented at this year's East Norriton TRUNK OR TREAT event last week.  Thanks to the Meyers for organizing the project, and to all the volunteers.
 
 
RECYCLED BIKE COLLECTION FOR THIRD WORLD NATIONS
 
Last Saturday the bike collection ended with numerous late bike and sewing machine donations attributed to the new location (thanks to West Norriton Township), more promotion and additional storage.
 
We netted around 76-80 bicycle and 12 sewing machines this year about a 20% growth from last year.  Early in the day, pedals for Progress told us the collected bikes would likely go in the outgoing Belize shipment.  President Alan indicated later that didn't happen.  But P4P has a few likely target destinations already in the works.
 
The weather was perfect and many people used the townships circular drive to drive through and drop off. One passerby saw the sign and went home and got their bike to donate.  Thanks to Mary for bringing us nourishment.  We have two late calls already with bicycles for next year's collection.
 
 
 
 
Dictionaries Delivered this week 10 -14 & 16
THE ROBERT SCHMIDT LITERACY  PROJECT
 
This week we visited Cole Manor and Marshall Street Elementary schools and shared Rotary stories and distributed dictionaries to some of the 700 third graders in the district as part of our goal to expand literacy.
 
 
 
 
 
CLUB OUTREACH INCLUDES COMMUNITY EXPOS
The last two weekends our club has represented Rotary at two community events, last week at East Norriton Community Day and this weekend at Expressive Path Art in the Park. Also on Tuesday night at the Family Fair at the Zoo.  The events were well attended and we made numerous new contacts and solicited bicycles and sewing machines for the upcoming collection on Sept 27.  The Norristown Rotaract Club joined us both weekends.  
 
 
2024-25 RECIPIENTS PRESENTATION

Rotary Club of Norristown Awards Over $17,000 to Local Organizations

At its August 14 meeting, the Rotary Club of Norristown proudly presented donation checks to two organizations making a significant impact in the local community:  These funds were raised during the Club’s annual Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction, held this past May.
 
The awards were presented to :

The Norristown Hospitality Center - $10,200

The center is a day shelter that serves those who are homeless or experiencing poverty in the Norristown area.   (https://hospitalitycenter.org)

And for:

Montgomery Child Advocacy Project (MCAP) - $6,800

Their mission is to end and prevent child abuse and neglect in Montgomery County through legal services, advocacy, and education. 

(https://www.mcapkids.org)

The Club’s annual Pancake Breakfast generates proceeds from corporate and private sponsors, a silent auction and basket raffles and donations from Club members and friends. Held at Lower Providence Presbyterian Church, the event draws many from the area and is staffed by Rotary members, friends and recipient organization volunteers. For more information, contact event chair Dave Beach (dbeach04@gmail.com)

The Rotary Club of Norristown remains committed to "service above self" and is proud to assist organizations that provide critical resources and support to individuals and families in need across the Norristown area.

Check presentation to The Norristown Hospitality Center
(L-R) Jack Rule-Norristown Rotary Foundation, Tim Meyers, Dave Beach- Club Fundraiser Committee, Sunanda Charles- Executive Director Norristown Hospitality Center, Alan Treisbach- President of Norristown Rotary Club, Jim Nutt- Club Fundraiser Committee
 
Check presentation The Montgomery Child Advocacy Project
 
(L-R) Jack Rule, Dave Beach -Rotary Club, Mary Anders, Nutmeg- MCAP, William Baldwin-MCAP  executive Director,  Tim Meyers, Alan Treisbach, Jim Nutt-  Rotary Club
 
Local Volunteering Opportunities
 
Local Volunteer Opportunities 
 
Patrician Society https://www.patriciansociety.org/volunteer/ 610-272-6316 Norristown
Our volunteers assist us by packaging groceries, produce and meats to distribute, restock shelves to feed the hungry.
 
Expressive Path https://expressivepath.org/get-involved 631-331-3516 
Help teenage students discover and develop music and art skills. Organize and execute events, Have a music or artistic talent? Assist with tutoring.
 
Norristown Hospitality Center https://hospitalitycenter.org/volunteer/ 610-277-1322 
Help anyone hungry, weary or living in the streets. Help serve breakfast & coffee, organize meals, lead devotion, handle client check-ins, manage the food pantry. Day shelter services
 
Montco Victim Serv. Center https://www.victimservicescenter.org/volunteer-opportunities 610-277-0932
We are the only non-profit, comprehensive crime-victim agency serving Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Our confidential services are provided at no cost to survivors of crime and their loved ones. Need help with day to day services. Collect used cell phones.
 
Help battered partners. Shop, volunteer or donate to our thrift shops. Host a donation drive.
 
Our volunteers provide direct service delivery, special events, steering committees, outreach and administrative support – they do it all.
 
Mission Kids https://missionkidscac.org/become-a-volunteer/ 484-687-2990 x 1026
Supporting child advocacy From clerical duties to event planning and community outreach, there are various ways to get involved.
 
Martha’s Choice Market Place & Community Farm https://www.marthaschoicemarketplace.com/volunteer/ 610-279-7372
Volunteer at the Pantry or the Farm. Creating meal kits, distributing to guests. Plant pick and pack, help deliver and pick up from partners. Help feed the hungry.
 
Meals on Wheels (Ntn Sr. Adult Activity Center) https://www.montcosaac.org/meals-on-wheels 610-275-1960 
Preparing and delivering meals to the home bound in the area.
 
Montco Public Library http://mnl.mclinc.org/volunteer-opportunities/ 610-278-5100
volunteers can donate their time, extending the reach of the Library and getting the community involved in reaching library goals, expand literacy.
 
Literacy Council of Norristown https://www.lcnlit.org/opportunities/ 610-292-8515
Help students prepare for their GED, learn basic educational skills: reading, writing and math and learn English as another language
 
Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/volunteer/einstein 484-622-7074
Variety of volunteer Patient Support Services, hospitality, clerical, escort & messenger positions, patient advocate, surgical hospitality, Patient Feeding.
 
NAHS STUDENTS AWARDED ROTARY STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Several times each year, our club recognizes students from the Norristown Area High School because the excel in areas of high ethical character and display outstanding performance in academics, technology, business, or the arts as well as community service.
It is a proud ddistinction and we are proud to honor both students and parents for the many years they dedicated to coaching and encouragement.
 
We proudly recognize (Left to right)  Christina Fritz, Sophia O'Reilly, Haylie Jost, Riley Logan and Ashton Young for they demonstrated excellence.
 
 
 
Christina Fritz                                   Sophia O'Reilly 
 
 
Haley Jost                                        Riley Logan
 
Ashton Young
 
 
Read more...
Used Bicycles Headed to Sierra Leone
PEDALS for PROGRESS
 
We ended our 23-24 Bicycle collection Saturday.  And we will begin again, no sooner than the truck left we got a call with 3 more sewing machines.  Despite the incessant rain, we managed a pretty good haul with 43 bikes and 7 sewing machines this year.  Bicycles become family transportation and sewing machines are distributed by an off shoot charity called 'Sewing Peace'. Both of these discarded items get a second life where jobs and transportation are rare.
 
Thank you to all those who donated this year. And thanks to Mary Treisbach for providing lunch.
 
 
 
 
GARDEN UPDATE
 
The Garden Committee met at the Garden to begin cleaning out.  Diane Helm indicated we are nowhere near finished.
It is fairly large and there is much to do. Work will progress this week.
 
"Ask this old House" the TV show on PBS recently featured a segment on building local community garden with the Girl Scouts.
The girls learn how to garden, the Community gets great looking gardens and everybody benefits !   Take a look...
 
 
 
 
 
ROTAPLAST TEAM ARRIVES IN MEDELLIN, COLUMBIA
The Rotary Rotaplast Team arrives in Medellin, Columbia and gets to work.
 
The Rotaplast team has safely arrived in Medellin, Colombia! "It was exhilarating to see many deep friendships renewed as new friendships formed before your eyes. Tonight, our Rotaplast team of volunteers was born. We all look forward to meeting the families and children tomorrow as we continue the life-changing journey of Saving Smiles and Changing Lives."
 
Follow along on their blog being kept by Darlene Scott
 
 
 
 
Rotarian Judy Bucko happy to be there.
 
 
Camp Neidig Jig
It will soon be time to send our campers of to leadership camp.
 
It is such a great experience and adults visit often and say have you guys sent me to Rotary camp.
 
Here is a little song written by one of the tribes.  It is so cute, it is hilarious, you'll enjoy it.
 
(Click on the picture, make sure you click the speaker on the top when it comes up, so volume is on)
 
Listen closely to the lyrics
 
'But WAIT.......Did you say...Camp Neidig for freeeeeee
 
 
 
 
 
NAHS students honored 3-14-24
Posted by Mark Call
 
NAHS STUDENTS HONORED JAN. 25 BY ROTARY CLUB OF NORRISTOWN
DENISE ASHE Club Youth Services Chair, Brandon AMBAR TORRES RAMIREZ,
 EMILY PLUMMER, KATIE LE, DUSTIN ARMAS, CHASE EICHOLTZ,
J EFF McMARIA-NAHS Counselor, MARY ONAMA- Club President
Brandon Zuniga Rodezno
Veronica Ritter
Edward Fisher
David Caldwell
Jeremiah McCray
 
 
At our January 25th meeting, THE ROTARY CLUB OF NORRISTOWN, honored 5 students from the NORRISTOWN AREA HIGH SCHOOL. The students were recognized for their exemplarily achievements in the areas of scholastic excellence, participation in school activities and special interest groups, community volunteering, sports, and demonstrated leadership in leadership and helping others. They all are honor roll students and often are National Merit Scholars. They have participated in student government, math and robotics club, school board representation , STEM programs, English teaching of local kids just to list a few. Their sports include golf, soccer, track and field.  They intend to continue their education in the fields of landscaping / environmental studies, civil engineering, manufacturing engineering, and the very popular- undecided. 
 
We wish them all great success in the future, and thank them for sharing their experiences with us.
 
Scholarship Thank you Letter
You're very welcome. It was our privilege to honor such deserving students and hopefully give them a head start in their educational endeavors.
 
NAHS STUDENTS HONORED
At our November 16 meeting, the Club honored six students from Norristown Area High School. These students, selected by teachers and school staff, were selected on the basis of their academic achievements, their participation in school activities, and their involvement in community service. All plane to continue their education next year, pursuing degrees in: Automation Engineering, Robotics, Psychology, Music, Med School, Communications, and other areas in science. 
We congratulate each one and wish them continued success in their educational future.
 
 
Club President, MARY ONAMA welcomed the students to our meeting- (l to R) Mamadou Bah , Kayla Huynh,
Izabella Gurreonero, Xiomara Smith, Jack Rosen. In the back is school counselor Jeff MacNamara,
who introduced the students.
 
 
Our Club receives a Citation
Congratulations to 2022-2023 President Sunanda Charles in leading our club through a banner year of achievement last year. Over 800 service hours all going back to the community. Achievement of nearly all our goals including establishing a Club foundation. Past District Governor Len Geisler and 2022-2023 Rotary International President Jennifer Jones have awarded the club this citation of achievement.
We are so proud.

President Mary received the following memo from Past DG Len Geisler

" Congratulations to you and your club for earning the Rotary Citation, the most significant award a Rotary club can achieve, for 2022-23. During a year that was challenging for many Rotarians and clubs around the world, your club  demonstrated a commitment to achieve your goals, which ultimately helps strengthen Rotary and shape our future.

Please share this certificate with your club. Thank you for your support and dedication last year.  I truly appreciate it. "

Len Geisler

Thank you Sunanda, for leading our club in reaching this very high achievement last year. It was a good year.

 

Trunk or Treat 
TRUNK or TREAT
 
We had a blast at the Norristown Rec Center on Monday night.  The club set up an elaborate grave yard to celebrate Halloween. The community came in droves and the rain held out until the end of the night.  Three or four hundred local youths visited the center. The club gave out 50-60 lbs of candy to worthy costumes of all kinds.  This is our 4th appearance at this annual event and always a ton of fun. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS 2023
Last Thursday, the ROTARY CLUB OF NORRISTOWN honored three scholarship recipients from the Norristown Area School District. These students were selected by our Scholarship Committee, working with the school district, and were based on exhibited strengths in the areas of academic excellence  and community involvement. Each student received $200 towards their education plans. We congratulate these students and wish them continued success in their future educational and occupational endeavors.
 
Winners:
Emma Josephine Carpenter - Plans to attend University of Delaware with courses leading to Veterinary School.
Dulce Maria Vargas Ochoa - is heading to Cabrini and is undecided at the moment, but is leaning toward majoring Education or Business
Christian David Carbone -  Plans to attend Villanova with studies in business and finance
Logan Hendricks (not present) will attend Rochester Institute of Technology $2500
 
Our three scholarship winners in attendance are welcomed by Club President Mary Onama and Committee Chair Tim Meyer
 
STEMYEA
 
This year for the first time, our Rotary club made an investment in the future (other than grants) in the area of STEM education. We sponsored middle school students attending the Rotary STEM Youth Explorer Academy host at Kutztown University in early July. This year Christopher Jordan from the Eisenhower Middle School joined 42 other students in the eastern PA area at the camp to broaden their horizons and advance scholastic opportunities in STEM. Here are a few pictures of the experiments, all students received a backpack and a white lab coat.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Club Meeting Info
Norristown

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Thursdays at 12:00 PM
Jeffersonville Golf Club
2400 W Main St
Jeffersonville, PA 19403
United States of America
Phone:
(484) 994-2349
Email:
RotaryofNorristown@gmail.com
FIRST 4 THURSDAYS of the Month
District Site
Bulletins
Venue Map
Club Mailing Address
P.O. Box 119
Oaks, PA 19456

September 2026

S
M
T
W
T
F
S
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
We are just:
- Ordinary People
- Working together
- To accomplish
   extraordinary things.
Upcoming Programs
Dr. Dorrell Green, NASD Superintendent
Sep 24, 2026
Norristown Area School District
Lisa Minardi, Executive Director, Historic Trappe
Oct 01, 2026
Preserving and sharing the heritage of southeastern Pennsylvania
Sunanda Charles, ED Norristown Hospitality Center
Oct 08, 2026
Hospitality Center's new permanent site - updates
Mandy Helwig, Springfield Rotary
Oct 15, 2026
Rotary Kitchen and Bakery project in Rwanda
Cortney Morengo, co-founder, Jaybird Foundation
Nov 05, 2026
Historic preservation, adaptive reuse, community revitalization
View entire list...
Upcoming Events
Subscribe to  Our Email Newsletter
Club Brochures & Info
Supporting Sponsors
click on for more info