Serving Our Community, One Meal at a Time
On Wednesday, August 5, members of the Madison Rotary Club proudly purchased, prepared, and served dinner to 55 residents at Homeless Solutions Inc.'s Main Shelter in Morristown. Our incredible volunteer team—Stef Codey, Lisa Scanlon-Lill, Laura and Paul Lemaire, and Curt Beaudouin — served up a delicious menu of Italian hot dogs with peppers and onions, crispy French fries, and cake. Judging by the smiles and empty plates, everything was enjoyed with great relish.
We are grateful for the opportunity to support our neighbors and make a small difference through fellowship and service.
What a wonderful evening celebrating another successful year at our Rotary Installation Dinner!
A heartfelt thank you to John Hogan for his outstanding leadership in organizing such a memorable event. It was an evening filled with great fellowship, delicious food, a beautiful venue—and yes, we even managed to take care of a little official Rotary business!
As we welcomed our 2026–2027 Board of Directors, we also took time to recognize and thank those whose Board service has come to an end. Our sincere appreciation goes to Art Powell, Lois Bhatt, Amul Modhera, Pat Miller, and Kyle Becker for their dedication, leadership, and many contributions to our club. While their official Board roles may have concluded, we know they will continue to make a meaningful impact through their ongoing service.
Although David Duran, Carol Martorana, and Paul Saccone were unable to attend the dinner, we look forward to their continued leadership and positive contributions as members of this year's Board.
A special thank you also goes to Tanya Van Order for her service as Recording Secretary and Trustee-at-Large, as well as for her continued leadership of our Laws of Life Essay Review program.
Congratulations to our incoming Board, and thank you to Jeannie Tsukamoto for officially installing our 2026–2027 leadership team. Here's to another year of "Service Above Self" and making a positive difference in our community!
Our club celebrated its 100th year of service in 2023. In 2026 we have just reached another century mark – we now have 100 members serving the community. We are happy to welcome Brian and Rachel Mortensen, Maureen Fraser, Lisa Scanlon-Dill, Bill Rice and Kaitlin Casey to our team. If YOU want to learn more about Rotary and how we make the town and world a better place, contact Joe Smith at info@madisonrotarynj.org
Our motto is Service Above Self – a commitment that comes with Fun, Fellowship and Good Feeling!
Our Club has had a busy year of community service!
You want proof? Take a look here: documents/en-us/98e576ec-aca4-468e-898a-0d3c9dc135ae/1
Our High School Interact Club continues to demonstrate its – and Rotary's – commitment to improving the lives of others, this time by preparing personal hygiene supplies for residents of the Homeless Solutions shelter in Morristown.
As the school year winds down, our Club has a chance to recognize some of Madison's outstanding students. For graduating High School Seniors, we provide scholarships recognizing dedication to community service and the Rotary motto of Service Above Self. For juniors we hold a contest in which student address a “Law of Life” that has motivated them. It is truly inspiring to see this generation of young people making a positive difference in their world. All told we awarded prizes to 18 students.
For the details, click on Read More
Our Club sent May out with a bang of recycling - We offered paper shredding so that folks could safely and securely dispose of confidential documents. At the same time, we co-hosted an effort to collect used bicycles and sewing machines, which were then packaged for shipment to Belize, where they will help local residents and develop local economies.
For more details, Read More
At our morning meeting, the Rotary Club hosted Kathleen Riordan, Esq., who taught us the key considerations in estate planning – things that everyone should know to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Madison High School Interact club members Noah Hsu, Alexandra Porio and Elizabeth Green present a check for $2400, raised by the club, which will support a four year high school education for a Maasai girl in Kenya. This is the sixth straight year the Interact club has supported the young women in a Kenyan village, working through the Maasai Girls Fund.
Last Saturday, during Madison’s Green & Clean activity day, our Rotary Club, as we have for many years, weeded and mulched the grounds at the Library – a welcome service for one of our community partners. Click to see the results of our members being “People of Action!”
The Madison High School Interact Club braved the weather this past Sunday holding their annual car wash at The Madison Elks Lodge to raise money for their community service projects. While waiving posters on the corner of Main Street and Rosedale to encourage new customers, the students managed to bring in this great red corvette, giving it a lot of TLC. All in all it was a very successful fund raising event despite the inclement weather early in the day as they raised $500.
At the Club’s April 23rd meeting, we heard from leaders of the Madison Education Foundation (MEF), a non-profit organization that awards teacher-initiated grants in Madison Public Schools. The MEF funds great ideas that inspire educators and energize the academic and creative lives and social / emotional health of students. Since 2003, MEF has awarded more than 700 grants totaling more than $2.2 million dollars across all grade levels and curriculum areas. To learn more about MEF and its work, visit www.mefnj.org . For more on Rotary events and speakers, check out the panels at left.
MEF leaders (l-r) Jen Gregory, Dominique Peck-Meyer, Marlena Fass and Megan Porio with Club President Jim Fraser
Madison Rotary is a vibrant group of 90 community-minded individuals who live or work in the Madison area. United by a shared commitment to service, we work together to create lasting change both locally and around the world. Our primary areas of focus include youth development, fighting food insecurity, and partnering with local organizations to address critical community needs.Looking to give back or meet like-minded people? Join us!
Madison Rotary is open to people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you're passionate about service or simply curious about what we do, you'll find a warm welcome and an opportunity to get involved. Not sure if Rotary is right for you? Come to a meeting and see for yourself — no pressure!
Meeting Times & Locations
📍Thursday Mornings | 7:45–8:30 AM | Madison Area YMCA
📍Thursday Afternoons | 12:00–1:30 PM | Firehouse Pizza, Central Avenue
📍First Thursday Evenings | 6:00 PM | Romanelli’s Pizza, Madison
Each meeting includes a meal, a brief club update, and a guest speaker covering a timely or inspiring topic. Check out our speaker schedule online for upcoming presentations.
Want to learn more or visit as a guest?
Contact Joe Smith at info@madisonrotarynj.org — we’d love to meet you!
Rotarian John Hogan and Madison High School Interact Club member Alexandra Porio proudly presented a $2,400 check to Rotarian Avery Hart and Paul Mantell of the Maasai Girls Fund. This contribution will provide a full four-year high school education for a girl in a Maasai village in Kenya. For the last four years, the Madison High School Interact Club has worked tirelessly to raise this amount annually, ensuring that young women in the Maasai community—who otherwise would not have access to secondary education—can pursue their studies, expand their opportunities, and transform their futures.Education is often the key to breaking cycles of poverty and inequality. By investing in the education of these young women, Madison’s Interact students are living out the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self.” Their efforts demonstrate the power of young leaders to make a lasting global impact, connecting Madison, New Jersey to communities across the world.
The Madison Rotary and Madison High School Interact Club remain deeply committed to service both locally and internationally—addressing food insecurity in New Jersey while also supporting educational opportunities abroad.
(Photo, left to right: Paul Mantell, John Hogan, Alexandra Porio, and Avery Hart)
For the 16th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating — four stars — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S. The Foundation earned the recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency.
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