Rotary Club of Haddonfield, New Jersey

The Rotary Club of Haddonfield was founded on May 11, 1927. It is one of 54 clubs in District 7640, covering the six counties in southern New Jersey. With more than 100 members, the Haddonfield Club is the largest in the District. For more than eighty-five years, members of the Rotary Club of Haddonfield have worked in a wide variety of ways to put the Rotary motto - "Service Above Self" - into practice for the benefit of the club, the members' vocations, the local community, and the wider world. Each Rotary club is expected to be active in five areas, known as Avenues of Service:
 
  • Club Service - the activities necessary to make a club function successfully.
  • Community Service- the programs activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community.
  • International Service- the programs and activities which Rotarians undertake to advance international understanding, goodwill, and peace.
  • New Generations Service – the programs and activities that Rotarians undertake specifically for the youngest generation in the family of Rotary. Many are participants in Rotary’s youth and young adult programs: Interact, Rotaract, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and Rotary Youth Exchange.
  • Vocational Service - the opportunity each Rotarian has to represent the dignity and utility of one's vocation to the other members of the club.?
The club conducts a number of events each year to support its activities and programs.
 
  • Bird Seed Sale - Proceeds from this fall fundraiser support a variety of club activities. Members offer quality bird seed at bulk prices and deliver it - free of charge - to residents' doors.
  • Oyster Supper - Held on April 10, 2015, this fun activity supports major community service projects in Haddonfield.

Club Service
 
The focus of Club Service is to help the club function successfully. This includes membership development, a bimonthly newsletter (the "Observer"), an annual directory of members, a summertime picnic for members and their families , an end - of - year luncheon for members and their spouses, various social outings, the annual District conference, and the Installation Dinner (held each July).

Vocational Service
 
The focus of Vocational Service is to provide opportunities for members to represent the dignity and utility of their vocation to other members of the club and to the community. It is expected that members will be fair and honest in all business dealings and that they will consider their vocation as an opportunity to serve. Vocational Services projects carried out by the Rotary Club of Haddonfield include a mentoring program that allows high school students from Camden to spend time with club members, learning about their businesses and professions.

Community Service
 
The focus of community service is to improve the quality of life in Haddonfield and the region. Over the years, the club has been extremely active in the avenue of community service. Some examples:
 
  • Summer Concerts- Each Friday night in July, the club sponsors a free community concert in downtown Haddonfield. Kings Highway is closed to enable the audience to set chairs down in the street. Hundreds of adults and children come to enjoy a delightful evening of music from a variety of first-rate bands.
  • Support for Community Projects- We provide annual sponsorship for a Little League Team (since 1950), the Friday Night Concerts (since the early 1980's), and alcohol and drug prevention program in Haddonfield - area schools (for the past five years). Our club also has provided financial support for a number of specific new projects in town: bicycles for the Police Department's Bicycle Patrol, a Reading Recovery Room at the Elizabeth Haddon School, a stair lift at the Mabel Kay House, renovations for the Interfaith Caregivers headquarters, and the public schools' Learn and Serve America program.
  • Fellowship House- Since 1992, the club has worked closely with Fellowship House, an urban ministry that provides a safe and supportive environment for youth in a trouble Camden neighborhood. With hands-on help and more than $10,000 in financial support from the Rotary Club of Haddonfield, Fellowship House acquired and renovated properties adjacent to its Broadway headquarters for use as a recreation area. 
  • Independence Day- A contingent from the club marches in Haddonfield's Fourth of July Day Parade. Members carry the flag of many nations, symbolizing the international nature of Rotary.
  • Interact- The club is currently working to establish an Interact club at the Haddonfield Memorial High School, offering fun, fellowship, service, leadership, development, and widened horizons for our youth.

International Service
 
The focus of International Service is to foster international understanding, goodwill, and peace. Our club is very active in the international arena, in many ways. Current and recent projects include:
 
  • PolioPlus - Rotary International has been a leader in the drive to eradicate polio, worldwide, by the year 2000. Our club has contributed more than $30,000 to this massive and vitally important humanitarian effort.
  • Bequia Library- We have provided funds for the purchase of thousands of children's books for two public libraries on the Caribbean island of Bequia.
  • Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships - We have sponsored a number of successful candidates for these prestigious and valuable District awards which enable graduate students to live and study overseas for a year.
  • Rotary Youth Exchange - Our club has sponsored and hosted numerous high school students over the years, enabling them to live and learn in another land.
  • Group Study Teams - We have hosted non-Rotarian visitors from a number of countries (Pakistan and Nigeria, for example) who have come here as members of Rotary-led study teams.
  • Rotary Foundation - As a matter of routine, the club supports the Rotary Foundation's many educational and humanitarian projects. Since 1930, the Foundation has disbursed over $700 million worldwide.