President Andy Sears received special recognition at last week's breakfast meeting in appreciation for his leadership and dedication to the success of the Rotary Club of Chestnut Hill over the past year.

In recognition for his service, a donation from the club was made in his honor to Rotaplast International to provide corrective plastic surgery for children in low-income countries born with clef lip or clef palate.

Past District Governor Paul Quintavalla gave a wonderful, heartfelt presentation at the breakfast program last week on Rotaplast International, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities.

Chestnut Hill Rotary posthumously honors long-time member Ned Mitinger, by donating books to the new library at Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences. Ned, and his wife Rujean, who both passed away last year, were most passionate about literacy and early childhood education. Both Ned and Rujean frequently volunteered to mentor at Jenks by reading to students who were struggling.

With great sadness, we recently learned that one of our greatest Rotarians and active member of the Chestnut Hill community, Susan Bray, M.D., passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 6.

Susan joined Chestnut Hill Rotary on June 1, 2004, and was the first member to serve as club president twice, in 2011-12 and 2020-21. She regularly volunteered on almost every committee but was most active in international service. 

Everyone has heard terms like “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning” being thrown around. For decades, artificial intelligence, or AI, was the engine of high-level STEM research. Most consumers became aware of the technology’s power and potential through internet platforms like Google and Facebook, and retailer Amazon. Today, AI is essential across a vast array of industries, including health care, banking, retail, education, manufacturing, and even the arts.

Lena Kadar was born on a small Guyana Island, called Orealla, and orphaned at age five. By the time she was seven, she and her two little brothers were admitted to Hope Children’s Home in Guyana, South America. 

This past week, she graduated from Community College of Philadelphia and has been accepted into Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, majoring in accounting with a minor in finance. One of Chestnut Hill Rotary’s founding member, Rebecca Anwar, has been providing housing and other support for Lena over the past several years.    

As gun violence continues to plague Philadelphia, it is children who increasingly find themselves as the target. In the last year alone, 220 kids under the age of 18 have been shot in Philadelphia, which is a 10 percent uptick from the previous year. To date, there have been 118 fatal and 485 non-fatal shootings in the city.

Chestnut Hill Rotary received the Shelterbox "HERO" Bronze Award for 2022-23, which recognizes Rotary clubs that have shown commitment in making an impact in worldwide disaster response, by providing financial support of more than $1,000.

The Rotary Club of Chestnut Hill launched its latest efforts to raise funds and awareness for local and international charitable causes. The event will take place at the North Penn VFW in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania on May 12.

“In the course of my career, I have spent countless hours with mothers, fathers and families who have suffered unfathomable loss,” said Judicial Candidate Chesley Lightsey. “Their sons and daughters have been murdered and abused in unspeakable ways. These families come from every section of this city and all walks of life. I have literally felt their pain and carry their stories with me always.”