Share the Warmth When our club heard that Mission Central was running low on hats, gloves, and scarves, we quickly assembled the troops and collected items to help those in need keep warm. Given that it was 18 degrees this morning, this drop off was more than a little timely!Pictured left to right is Club President Rod Hite, members Erin Sunday & Bim Arthun, and Mission Central's Stephanie Titzel. |
RCWS Donates to Camp Hill Fire Department Dec 2020: Thanks to our Flags for a Heroes fundraiser, the RCWS was able to make a donation to the Camp Hill Fire Department which was in need of equipment repairs in their training room.We appreciate all that our first responders do to keep us and our communities safe, and we are happy that we can show our appreciation in this way! Pictured L to R: Bim Arthun, President-elect, RCWS; Mark Simpson, Chief, CHFD; Jack Sellers, President, Camp Hill Fire Co.; H. Rod Hite, President, RCWS |
Salvation Army Donation After members of the RCWS toured the Salvation Army facility in Harrisburg, Club President Rod Hite was pleased to present the club's donation to support the many worthwhile programs offered by the organization.Pictures of the visit are available on the RCWS's Facebook Page. |
2021 Flags for Heroes - A Great Success!September 10, 2021 - the day before the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States - the Rotary Club of West Shore held its Flags for Heroes Dedication Ceremony. Friends, family, sponsors, and heroes gathered to remember the sacrifices made by so many in our community and beyond. We are grateful to our corporate sponsors and to each individual flag sponsor. Your decision to recognize a special someone has an extensive reach as proceeds from the event stay in the local community to help those in need. Plans are already underway for the 2022 Flags for Heroes event. You won't want to miss it! |
RCWS doles out refreshments at Vickie's Angel Walk Members of the Rotary Club of West Shore were on hand to provide refreshments to walkers at the 2021 Vickie's Angel Walk which was held on Saturday, October 9, 2021. Walkers were very appreciative to find free cold water along the route. Their appreciation turned to excitement when they also saw free candy! While there were many "thank you" comments from the walkers, we especially appreciated hearing, "I knew you'd be here. Thank you for doing this for so many years." We are happy to support such a great event and program that helps those in need. |
Sponsors (to date) named for 2021 Flags for Heroes The RCWS is grateful to the sponsors who have already signed on for the 2021 Flags for Heroes event. The flags will be on display from September 4-12, 2021, along the Camp Hill Bypass. It's not too late for you to be a sponsor too! Sponsorships range from the $100 individual level to the $2,000 gold level. Join us for this unique and emotional display of gratitude that supports the local community. All proceeds from this fundraiser remain in the local area. Check out the Flags for Heroes page for more information! |
Supporting Veterans in Need The RCWS is delighted to support the Rotary Veterans Initiative, particularly since the funds donated came from our Flags for Heroes fundraiser!Our donation will join with others to help veterans pay for school or start the business of their dreams through RVI's latest efforts, Business Plan Bootcamp. Pictured is RVI's Chair, Rick Coplen receiving the donation from Club President Rod Hite. |
RCWS Supports Friends of the West Shore Theater What an honor it is for the RCWS to be make a donation to the Friends of the West Shore Theatre.The Friends have come together to save the West Shore Theatre for the local community. Their motto has been Restore, Revitalize, Reinvent. They're working to Restore and maintain the beauty and feel of this historical theatre while bringing it up to date. Revitalizing the theatre helps the revitalization efforts in New Cumberland and around the West Shore. To do that, the group knows they need to Reinvent to adapt to the present, while honoring the past. |
RCWS Donates to Earl Besch Project The RCWS is happy to support our local community! Club President Rod Hite (L) and former Club President Kirk Brechbiel (R) are pictured below donating $1,000 from our Flags for Heroes fundraiser to Anissa Basom of the Earl Besch Food Pantry in Camp Hill.The Earl Besch Project supports a host of needs (food, clothing, services) for Camp Hill families who are struggling to make ends meet so that our students can have the tools they need to become our leaders of tomorrow. For more information about the Project, visit the Earl Besch Project website or follow them on Facebook. |
Remembering Chuck Cenkner Once again, our hearts are heavy as we announce the loss of long time club member, Chuck Cenkner.Chuck was often called "Mr. Rotary" since his passion for polio eradication, helping others, and living life by the Four-Way Test were evident in everything he did. He served on numerous Rotary committees at the club and district level, was editor of the weekly newsletter The Spokesman, and served as a District Governor. His volunteer involvement went well beyond that of Rotary International. We miss you, Chuck, and hope you are enjoying the reunion with your beloved Marilyn. Note: A service for Chuck is tentatively scheduled for May 2021. |
Remembering Bernie Dugan The Rotary Club of West Shore is sad to announce the loss of long time club member, Bernie Dugan.Bernie is remembered for his constant kindness, friendliness, and support. He modeled "Service Above Self" as so many of our club members have done throughout their lives. Well done, Bernie. We will miss you. |
Save 20% at Boscov's! The RCWS invites you to Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends event! Shoppers receive a 20% discount for the two days of the sale, and the Rotary Club of the West Shore receives 5% of the total purchase of all of those who mention Rotary Club of West Shore at check-out. What an easy way to raise money for our club which is then poured back into the local community! There are no coupons or coupon books, but SHOPPERS MUST MENTION RCWS AT CHECK-OUT. The event is October 14-15, 2020, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm at the Camp Hill, PA location only. For more information, check out the Friends Helping Friends flyer. |
Flags for Heroes is a go for 2020 The Rotary Club of West Shore is excited to kick-off its premier Fundraiser, Flags for Heroes! In this time of uncertainty, how wonderful it is to focus on something positive and celebrate our heroes! For more information about the program, how you can participate, and who benefits from this event, click here. |
Passing the Gavel The RCWS met on Thursday, June 25, 2020, to pass the gavel virtually from two-term Past President, Kirk Brechbiel to President-Elect Rod Hite. Even DGE John Anthony and AAG Fred Gellert were on hand to share a word on how Rotary Opens Opportunities!PP Kirk highlighted some of the Club's accomplishments in the past two years including continued involvement with New Hope Ministries, Vickie's Angel Walk, RYLA, and the Dictionary Project. Additionally, the Club was able to help with the purchase of a commercial oven for the Mechanicsburg Area Meals on Wheels. The Club not only increased membership, but increased diversity with the addition of four new female members. Special thanks was extended to Zacc Rahn for serving as Treasurer, Tom Oliver for serving as Secretary, Joe McNally for his service on the Foundation Board, and PDG Chuck Cenkner for his work with Polio Plus. Additional thanks was extended to member Jessica D'Agostino for agreeing to serve as treasurer in the upcoming year. Incoming President Rod Hite has an ambitious agenda for the upcoming year which includes a major fundraiser, growing membership with a focus on outreach to younger members, and launching an Interact Club at one of our area schools. It's going to be a great year because Rotary Opens Opportunities! |
Remembering PDG David Witmer PDG David P. Witmer, Jr. 1995-96David Paul Witmer, Jr., 86, of Camp Hill, passed away on May 6, 2020; born in Hershey on June 27, 1933, the son of the late D. Paul Witmer and Catherine (Baney) Witmer; after graduating Hershey High School in 1951, he joined the Air Force after graduating ROTC from Franklin & Marshall College in 1955. He is survived by his wife Caroline (Manbeck) Witmer of 62 years; two sons, David P. Witmer, III and William C. Witmer and their families. David served the RCWS as President and will be remembered for his tenacity to preserve and save the club from closing during difficult times. He and Caroline hosted many exchange students. Additionally, they were always with the children during our dictionary project distribution and at all District functions involving children. His stories of aviation, Milton Hershey, travel, skiing, swimming and his love for Caroline will live on. God Bless his Soul. Please click here to view the full obituary. |
Giving Back to the Community Since COVID-19 is preventing the Rotary Club of West Shore from meeting in person, club members opted to donate their normal meal expenses to the Earl Besch Project.Earl Besch was a long time resident of Camp Hill Borough who was known for his generosity to others. Earl would regularly reach out to local schools to see if there were families in need. Following his passing in 2015, his family established a memorial fund in his name to continue his legacy of caring. The Earl Besch Fund at The Lion Foundation provides others an opportunity to help those less fortunate in our community through donations to this fund. The RCWS donations were directed to the Project's BackPack Program. Normally, the BackPack Program is a summer activity, however the closure of public schools created a more urgent need this year. By teaming up with local churches, the project prepares and delivers boxes filled with nutritious healthy foods as well as household necessities to help the families in the BackPack Program. The RCWS is proud to support such a worthy cause. |
Vickie's Angel Walk 2019 Members of the RCWS were on site to hand out water to walkers at the 2019 Vickie's Angel Walk. The event, held on October 12, 2019, at the New Cumberland Borough Park, marks the 17th consecutive year that Vickie's Angel Foundation has held this event.Vickie's Angel Foundation is a local non-profit with a mission of helping families fighting cancer who have difficulties paying their bills during the challenging times of undergoing cancer treatments. The organization eases the financial worry from families, providing a temporary bridge that allows them to focus entirely on beating their disease. The organization helps families in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, Schuylkill, and York Counties. |
Literacy: The Dictionary Project Winter 2020 marked the 10th consecutive year that the RCWS donated dictionaries to third grade students in public and private schools in our local area. Additionally, the RCWS again partnered with the Harrisburg Keystone Rotary Club to donate dictionaries to all third grade students in the Steelton-Highspire School on the East Shore. Since the RCWS started participating in The Dictionary Project in 2010, the Club has distributed nearly 10,000 books at nine public schools and four private schools in the local area. At its nationwide peak in 2017, The Dictionary Project (based in Charleston, SC) distributed nearly 1.4 million books, mainly through Rotary Clubs.With the increase in technology in the classroom, The Dictionary Project has lost some of its steam, however schools which lack funding to provide electronic devices to their students remain grateful and appreciative of this ongoing initiative. Click here to find out more about The Dictionary Project. |