We meet in person on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays. Elevator is available. Park in LOT C. Flex meetings/dining out first week of each month TBD, see calendar.
Note: Tonight, February 19, is our next Dining Out!
6:00 at Bibi's Tiffin 2 in Trexlertown.
If you have not RSVP'd for fear of the weather or other plans – worry not! There is plenty of space for those with a last-minute change of heart or plans, and especially our newest club and Impact Club members who may not know about it.
Bibi's Tiffin 2 is a BYOB, located in the near-end unit of the strip mall directly across from Bell Hardware on Route 100 in Trexlertown. The GPS address is:
Unit 105, 1044, Trexlertown Road, Breinigsville
Look for the circular sign on the building.
You can find the menu and more information on their website here: Bibi's Tiffin.
Tour and Dining Out Recap:
January 22
On the evening of January 22, fourteen club members, and Rupa (Dhruv’s wife) attended member Dhruv Seshadri, PhD’s presentation and laboratory tour in the Department of Bioengineering at Lehigh University’s Mountaintop Campus and a dinner that followed at Pat’s Bistro.
Dhruv gave a high-level overview of the importance of bioengineering devices, namely the importance of “…Innovating to Improve Patient Outcomes.” He included many examples of bioengineered methods and devices. These included novel vaccines, use of artificial intelligence in imaging and diagnoses, robotics, stents, prosthetics, and wearable devices, some similar to the Oura ring.
Dhruv explained diagrammatically how research funding is achieved and named the many government agencies, NGOs, and corporate partners that might be interested in a project.
For the final part of the presentation, he discussed how women’s health is underfunded and understudied, especially in poorer, more populous nations where there may be significant economic, political, technological, and cultural barriers to improved healthcare outcomes. Dhruv and his wife, Rupa, are in the initial stages of a pilot study in India that will test the use of wearable technologies with the end goals of improving menstrual health, reducing stigma and bias, empowerment, reducing school dropout and absenteeism, and much more.
Herb asked if Dhruv had a Rotary partner club in India. They do have one and are working on another. Surely Herb is thinking, “How can we help?”
Following his presentation, there was a tour of the Seshadri Laboratory. Of course, this lab, new and of Dhruv’s creation, contained many instruments and machines of great interest to our techie members. Also, seen on the walls were the postered projects of Dhruv’s students. For example, “Wearable Technology to Guide Return to Play Folling Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction,” and “Wearable Technology and Machine Learning for Health Analytics in Division One Female Soccer Athletes.” The primary function of the laboratory, however, was to test, experiment, and finally create wearable devices to achieve better outcomes, some which may be commercialized.
Following the presentation and tour, the group rejoined for a wonderful warm meal at Pat’s Pizza and Bistro, a BYOB on West Market St. in Bethlehem.
At a recent Wednesday morning meeting, our featured speaker was from the Refugee Community Center in Allentown. Our members were very touched by the center's story and the work they do. Afterwards, Gloria Power reached out to Diana Dunn to thank her for the opportunity to speak to us, and thank us for all the help that was offered after the meeting. She wanted our club to know there is now a secure way to donate to the Center. In Gloria's words:
The question also came up for donations. We now have (as a separate 501c3) a new bank account, so we are ready to link it to the new website. Until then, folks are donating via checks, or the link below:
Our big event, Flags for Unity, will be taking place over Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26, at Parkland High School. Planning is well under way, and every member of our club can participate.
Sponsor packets are available! If you would like to receive a sponsor packet to help recruit sponsors for this event, contact Herb Klotz at herbk.rotary@gmail.com. Visit the website: FlagsforUnity.org, to learn more about the event. As new attractions are planned, they will be listened on the event agenda.
Parkland High School SnackPacking Has New Rules; Needs New Packers
On the third Tuesday of each month during the school year, the AWRC, Parkland Interact Club, and other volunteers pack about 250 food packs that are given to food insecure grade-school children in the district for weekend consumption. It has been a while since we have formally invited new club members and others to this program. We are now notifying all club members of the availability for new members to join in this service project. For those not normally participating in the snack packing, let Diana Dunn know if you would like to receive monthly reminders by emailing her at dunndianas@gmail.com.
All volunteers will meet at the front of Parkland High School (main central entrance) between 1:55-2:00 to be escorted by our Interact Club Advisor, Lori Peters. Rotarians who are dropping off food at the dock and helping with unloading should arrive by 1:30 to allow enough time to park and enter the front of the building.
Parkland has a new security system for visitors. There is a one-time photo that will be taken of each of us the first time we visit the school since this new procedure was initiated. Please bring a photo ID (drivers license) the next time you come. Once you are setup, I believe it is just facial recognition each time. It is very quick to get this done, and it's taken care of at the same counter where we normally check in.
Thanks everyone for your continued support of this program!
Our regular club meeting on March 12 will be held at LCTI. It will begin at 8:00 a.m., not our usual 7:30.
We need to submit the names of attendees to LCTI prior to the meeting. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to Chris Blechschmidt or Gwenn Carr by Sunday, March 2.
Join us for our Second Year in an Iron Pigs Suite!
Friends / Family/ Other Rotary Members are welcome!
Again, for 2025, we have secured the PARTY PORCH SUITE with food, non-alcoholic drinks, and desserts all included. Our section is covered and protected from the weather.
WHEN: THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2025
GAME TIME: 6:45PM
COST: $40 per person
You can drop off payment at a meeting – Due by March 15
OR send a check, noting that it's for the PIGS game, to:
The following is an invitation for us to join the Allentown Rotary Club for a private tour of the new Moxy Hotel. Click on the ad to register before March 1 to join in the tour. Our thanks to Rosaria Stoops and the Allentown Rotary Club for the invitation!
Muugii (our Friends Of Mongolia volunteer, 21|21 coordinator, and Rotaractor) organized a trivia night with some of the scholarship recipients over the break. They met up for dinner and discussed their incoming semester goals, student life, giving advice and support to one another, and participated in a trivia quiz. See photo below.
Also, we are in the process of testing out an Interact Penpal program between the Parkland Interact (sponsored by Allentown West Rotary Club), and the Hobby School of Ulaanbaatar Interact Club (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Ulaanbaatar). Hopefully this "guinea pig" goes smoothly and we can expand the framework.
We received these photos from Mike Stegura, husband of our dear friend, Halyna, who passed away in 2023. Mike wrote:
Please share these pics with Halyna’s Rotary friends. I took a lot longer than I expected but her bench and plaques were recently installed here in the Villages.
Meals on Wheels delivers on the second and third Tuesday of each month. The start time is 9:45-10:00 a.m. The meals are made at the Meals on Wheels kitchen on Sherman Steet in Allentown and trucked to Asbury Church for pick-up by the MOW delivery volunteers. Anyone interested in joining in this service project should contact Helen Papathanasiou at elenavasso@gmail.com.
The food bank at Kingdom Life Family Centerdistributes healthy food on the second Saturday of each month to an ever-increasing number of families in the Lehigh Valley. More volunteers are needed to help set up, help with the distribution, and tear down afterwards. Contact Jean Masiko at masiko@aol.com for information on volunteering or to sign up. The next dates for volunteering are:
March 8
April 12
May 20
SNACKPACKING
The Parkland SnackPacking takes place on the third Tuesday of each month from 2-3:30, except for April, at which time it will be on Tues., April 22. See separate story above for new procedures.
One Tuesday of each month during the school year, the AWRC, Parkland Interact Club, and other volunteers pack about 250 food packs that are given to needy grade school children in the district for weekend consumption. It has been a while since we have formally invited new volunteers to this program. Therefore, we are now notifying all club members of the event. If you are not already a Parkland SnackPacking volunteer, let Diana Dunn know if you would like to receive monthly reminders. The time commitment is about 1.5 hours (2:00 to 3:30) on the third Tuesday of the month.
The last outdoor distribution will be held on January 24. The choice pantry will be open in March with new opportunities for us to serve. Contact Karen Rodgers at kmrbmr1@gmail.com.
FLAGS FOR UNITY
More volunteers are welcome to join in this fundraiser that will take place in May, over Memorial Day weekend. Contact Earnie Bliss for details. earnie.bliss@gmail.com
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FAMILY OF ROTARY
Do you know of any member of our Rotary family who would benefit from our support with cards, flowers, or visits? If so, please notify Marlene Heller at MarleneHeller@mac.com
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