August highlight by Kurt Rohrbach - Taste of Kutztown Chairperson
During the celebratory dinner at the Market Café in August, everyone agreed that while working hard at the Taste of Kutztown event, they were having fun at the same time. That is not unusual - on the local level Rotary is all about doing good work and having fun.
Successful events, projects, strong management, comradery and a sense of fun has helped the club grow from 19 members to 32, in five years. Our strategic plan projects 40 members by July 2026. A no-brainer since we just hit 36.
The Taste of Kutztown raised over $40,000 for the third year in a row. It is held in support of 2 scholarships, 3 fire companies, 2 libraries, 3 food pantries, disaster relief, Scouts, homeless shelters, community and school district youth programs, 2 historical societies, senior citizen groups, polio prevention, burn prevention, band shell concerts, KU Arts program, Wall of Healing tour, the Strand Theater, exchange students, and youth STEM and leadership development.
Kutztown Rotary also conducted 20 service projects last year – community meals, painting, cleaning, helping at other organizations events, planting and picking potatoes, greeting at the Folk Festival, Dinner on Main, Fairgrounds Octoberfest, and Das Awkscht Fescht to name a few. We balance the work with fun social events like movie nights, winery visits, group dinners, picnics, holiday parties, visiting the Kutztown fair and attending Reading Phils games.
Anyone who comes to a meeting receives their first dinner for free. Dues of only $200 all goes to support the greater Rotary International organization. We provide leadership opportunities by developing and harnessing the skills that members use every day in their professions. Eleven members took advantage of leadership training opportunities last year.
Join us if you are good people who want to use your abilities to benefit our community and society. But wait, you must also want to have fun and develop lifelong friendships. It seems that the more we give of ourselves, the more our lives are enriched.
Learn more about the Taste of Kutztown event here. We would be happy to have you as a volunteer next year. Not only will you be helping out a good cause, but you will also get to experience the event with a free wrist bracelet and tasting glass.
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