Stories

Hazleton Rotary President Alan Whitaker says “This will be the first “Pints for Polio” event the Hazleton Club has held and we want to thank Bottlenecks for agreeing to hold the project at their restaurant and for offering the donation. It’s an easy, fun way for people to help join the battle to end polio.”
Rotary International has been working to eradicate polio for more than 30 years, and has made incredible progress in the fight to rid the world of it forever.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, they’ve helped to reduce polio cases by more than 99.9 percent.
It’s crucial to eliminate polio from the last three countries where it remains endemic and to keep other countries polio-free.
If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
We’re close to eradicating polio, but we’re not done yet. Funds are still needed to continue immunization and surveillance efforts. With your help, Greater Hazleton will get us closer to the finish line.
We’re inviting the community to be a part of history. Join us for pint or two, and bring a friend, or two, to “Pints for Polio.”
Sincere appreciation to Rotary Club Member Mike Cammisa who is the General Manager at Bottlenecks and owner, Jay Misto for their assistance with this project.

The following students have been selected as the Rotary Club Scholarship winners for 2019. 

Coleman Smith, MMI Preparatory, will receive a scholarship of $2000.00 per year for a total of $8000 for four years.  Kaitlyn Beiler and Morgan Long will each receive a scholarship valued at $1250.00 a year for a total of $5000 for four years.

Coleman, MMI Preparatory School, is the son of Laura and Keith Smith.  He plans to attend Pennsylvania State University, University Park with an intended double Major in Nuclear and Electrical Engineering.

The daughter of Keang and James Beiler, Kaitlyn, Hazleton Area High School, will major in Electrical Engineering and/or Computer Science at Cornell University.

Morgan, MMI Preparatory School, is the son of Theresa and David Long.  He will attend Lehigh University as a member of the Computer Science and Business dual degree honors program.

Morgan, Coleman and Kaitlyn will be guest speakers at the Hazleton Rotary Club meeting sometime this summer

Katherine Oh will be installed as the 98th President of the Rotary Club of Hazleton at the annual Presidents Party to be held at the Valley Country Club on June 27, 2018.

Kathie has been a member of the Rotary Club of Hazleton for five years and she was sponsored for membership by Mary Celeste Kosko.

When asked what her goals for the club would be, Kathie replied, “This years Rotary theme is "Be The Inspiration" and I believe the goals of the Hazleton Rotary Club for the upcoming fiscal year should be to see that we are answering “yes” to each of our “4 way test” questions as we plan and complete each of our community services and projects.

The crowd included present and former board of trustees members, current and past staff members and many other dignitaries from throughout the community.

A formal program was held with opening remarks from Gary M. Lawler, president of the HAPL board of trustees and Chancellor of Penn State Hazleton.

The final presentation of the evening was given by Mary C. Malone, past president of the board of trustees, and Jeff Gicking, Hazleton Area Public Library board member emeritus.

Reinmiller was brought to the stage for the unveiling of a new sign, which will mark the renaming of the Hazleton Area Public Library Valley branch in his honor.

As executive director of the library, Reinmiller had worked tirelessly with the board of trustees and Conyngham borough officials to move the library from its former Main Street location to the former schoolhouse, which now serves as the Conyngham borough offices and council chambers.

Congratulations to our very own Sherry Robinson, associate professor of business at Penn State Hazleton, who was selected as a recipient of a 2016-17 Fulbright scholarship to Iceland and spent the fall 2016 semester at Bifrost University in Bifrost, Iceland.

The Rotary Club of Hazleton announces that Immediate Past President Ron Avellino has made contributions to the programs of The Rotary International Foundation that qualify him as a Major Donor at level 1, marking his 10th Paul Harris Fellowship. 

As a Major Donor, Avellino is among a dedicated group of humanitarians who have committed themselves to helping others less fortunate.  This special group of persons who are changing lives of children, young people, and adults through a legacy of hope. 

In appreciation for this investment in the future of humanity, the Trustees of the RI Foundation expressed their gratitude by presenting a crystal and diamond Major Donor lapel pin and pendant. The crystal is engraved and depicts doves bearing olive branches—universal symbols of peace.   The presentation was made by Hazleton Rotary President Pat Ward at Wednesday's meeting.