The Olean Rotary Club has been busy each season.June: gave out two scholarships to local students and joined the Ellicottville Rotary Club to celebrate the end of one Rotary year and the beginning of another.
August and September: held its annual mum flower sale (totaling $3,648 in sales); participated in a gala auction fundraiser for the Olean General Hospital. Members formed a team for the Southern Tier Walk to End Alzheimer’s, raising over $1000. We toured the Eldred World War II Museum. Two new members were added to the club: Jeff Spears and Amanda Hulbert.
October: hosted a variety of guest presenters; prepared for the annual Veterans' Dinner, (November 14) at the Allegany American Legion, netting around $4,000 in profits for the Club.
November: participated in Cattaraugus Gives Day, raising $1,705 for the Marjorie and Robert Schaumleffel Rotary Scholarship, and won the Community Building Hour Prize, securing $500 for the scholarship fund.
December: provided gifts for the Gift Tree project; participated in the community’s Festival of Trees.
January: gave 3 mini-grants to local teachers.
March: preparing for the Olean Rotary Club’s annual Service Above Self Dinner.
April: Service Above Self Dinner celebrated the Enchanted Mountain Garden Club from Allegany and the Olean Gardens and Beautification Committee.
May: volunteered at the SPCA.
Soon, our Rotary scholarships will be awarded to hardworking students, and the Rotary year will conclude.
The world keeps turning and the Olean Rotary Club will keep active in our community, striving to always put service above self.
- Paula Bernstein
The Olean Rotary Club has been busy year round.
In June, we gave out two scholarships to local students. One was to a graduating BOCES student from the Olean Career and Technical Education Center, Lilianna Peters. Another was the Marjorie and Robert Schaumleffel Rotary Scholarship awarded to Ian Palmer.
On June 28, we came together with the Ellicottville Rotary Club to celebrate the end of one Rotary year and the beginning of another. We had dinner together at the Century Manor restaurant in Olean, and the turnout from both clubs was great. Outgoing Area Governor John Weismantel, who also serves as the president of the Ellicottville Rotary Club, was in attendance and received a Paul Harris Fellowship Award. John swore in Paula Bernstein as the new Area Governor. Megan Moretz and Paula were sworn in as the co-Presidents of the Olean club. All told, it was a fun evening and the friendship between our two clubs was strengthened.
In August and September, the club held its annual mum flower sale. Past and present members sold 228 plants (totaling $3,648 in sales) to friends and neighbors. Proceeds from the sale are used to support service projects throughout the year. The club also participated in an auction fundraiser at a gala for the Olean General Hospital in September. Members donated items for gift baskets and participated in the auction. The proceeds were split with the Ellicottville Rotary Club, who also participated. The day after the gala, several members of the Rotary Club formed a team for the Southern Tier Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, they raised over $1000 for the cause.
For another fun outing, the Rotary Club took a tour of the Eldred World War II Museum. This took place the week after the curator of the museum, Steve Appleby, came to present at our regularly scheduled meeting. He brought artifacts and gave a fascinating presentation about heroes from the World War. It was an educational program. Also, in the month of September, two new members were added to the club: Jeff Spears and Amanda Hulbert.
In October, the Club hosted a variety of guest presenters at our Tuesday afternoon meetings, including Steve Teachman from the Olean Historical Society and Chief Marourard from the Olean Fire Department. The Club also worked together to prepare for the annual Veterans' Dinner, which took place on November 14 at the Allegany American Legion. Students from Saint Bonaventure University and the Allegany-Limestone Central School District volunteered to help make the Veterans Dinner a success. This event netted around $4,000 in profits for the Club.
On November 28, the Rotary Club participated in Cattaraugus Gives Day and raised $1,705 specifically for the Marjorie and Robert Schaumleffel Rotary Scholarship. The Club also won the Community Building Hour Prize, for getting the most donors between 12-1pm on Giving Tuesday, securing $500 for the scholarship fund.
During the month of December, the Olean Rotary Club celebrated the holidays by giving back. The club provided gifts for individuals being helped by the Gift Tree project and participated in the community’s Festival of Trees. There were also several social occasions for the Club to get together, although regular Tuesday meetings took a brief hiatus.
In January, the club came back together and gave 3 mini-grants to local teachers. One grant supported a gardening club, another supported a craft club, and the third supported high-school students making coloring books for kindergarten students. Tuesday afternoon meetings resumed with a focus on mental health and wellness. During one of the meetings, Anne-Marie Tompkins from Operation Warm Hearts was our guest. OWH is a wonderful organization that provides clothing, books, and hygiene supplies to children. This year, they were the recipient of our club’s matching grant.
In the months of March and April, the Olean Rotary Club maintained weekly meetings on Tuesdays at the Bartlett Country Club. It was exciting to hear about new initiatives, nonprofits, and organizations that are taking off in Olean. Some of the presenters were our very own members, as we invited new members to talk to the club about their background and what they are doing now. We all learned a lot about each other in the process.
March was also a month of planning, as preparations were made for the Olean Rotary Club’s annual Service Above Self Dinner. The dinner was held on April 30th and celebrated the Enchanted Mountain Garden Club from Allegany and the Olean Gardens and Beautification Committee. Both groups do a superb job of keeping our towns beautiful and clean. The dinner was well attended, and we hope the members of both gardening clubs felt honored.
In May, the club volunteered at the SPCA. Rotarians met on two consecutive Mondays to clear out a barn on their property that will be useful for the employees and the animals. It was a lot of work, but the end-result was incredible.
That brings us back to where we started. Soon, our Rotary scholarships will be awarded to hardworking students, and the Rotary year will conclude. The world keeps turning and the Olean Rotary Club will keep active in our community, striving to always put service above self.
