100
YEARS AND GROWING: Rooted in service,
Rotary donates tree
Published in the Times-Beacon 6/30/05
By JESSICA STENSTROM Staff Writer
LACEY -- Celebrating 100 years of
service the Forked River Rotary Club gave
the township a gift that will live on for
many years to come.
Outgoing President Dan Cortese's last
meeting was hosted beneath the Gille Park
pavilion that was once donated by the
club.
The Rotarians' newest addition to the
park a tree planted in honor of their
100-year Anniversary.
The Rotary Club decided upon planting a
non-fruit bearing Bartlett Pear Tree in
the park after deciding their other idea
was too extreme to accomplish.
Cortese said that at one point a
Rotarian had suggested bicycling from one
end of their service area to the other, a
bike ride that would stretch from Forked
River to Waretown to Barnegat.
"After some thought we decided
that we couldn't bicycle up Route 9,"
he said.
The club continued brainstorming.
"We needed to provide something
that was needed and the project had to be
hands on," Cortese said.
The project also had to be commemorated
with a plaque.
"Not that are parks aren't
beautiful enough, but we decided to add to
the beauty," he said.
Each of the club's members shoveled
dirt helping to plant the club's tree
along the path beside the tree's the
township planted in observance of Arbor
Day.
The trees are along the walking path
that runs beside the volleyball courts and
soccer fields.
The Rotary Club is a non-profit service
organization that donates money to many
organizations local, national and
international.
Cortese said that the club has four
stated objects- the development of
acquaintances as an opportunity for
service; high ethical standards in
business and professions, the recognition
of the worthiness of all useful
occupations and the dignifying of each
Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to
serve society; the application of service
into all members' lives including
business, personal and community aspects;
and the advancement of international
understanding, goodwill and peace with
business and professional people united
with the ideal of service in mind.
The first service club was formated in
February 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an
attorney who wished to recapture a
friendly spirit that was felt in clubs of
his youth in a professional club.
History says that the club was named
"Rotary" because of the practice
of rotating the meetings among different
members' offices.
At next Tuesday's meeting the new
executive board will take over procedures
at the meeting conducted every Tuesday at
the Captain's Inn.
"It was a pleasure serving you as
President. I hope you had as much fun as I
did," Cortese said. "We did a
lot of great projects this year."
For more information on the club visit
them at www.forkedriverrotary.org.
.
