Club Information
Welcome to the Babylon Rotary Club!
Babylon

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 12:30 PM
Long Island Yacht
307 Little East Neck Road S
Babylon, NY 11702
United States of America
We meet the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month at 12:30 PM.
Home Page Stories
Thank you to Chairman: Marc Horowitz
Thank you to Committee Members:  Frank Seibert, Alice Cromarty, Pat Ziegler,  Mary Donovan, Bonnie Heller, Gail Sullivan, JoAnn Boettcher
 
This year we donated almost 900 dictionaries to the 3rd graders in 15 different elementary schools from North Babylon, West Babylon, Babylon & West Islip.  Traveling around our community for weeks to conduct 15 presentations was truly a labor of love and we thank all Rotarians who participated.  This year the committee made the difficult decision to end the Dictionary Project and focus efforts next toward supporting literacy in a different way.  While all Rotarians love the nostalgia of a physical dictionary, the truth is that most children, even adults simply use their smart phones to look up the meaning of words they don't know.  The committee is determined to brainstorm a project that better support the literacy of our community moving into the future instead of clinging to the past.  The Dictionary Project was led by Past District Gov. & Past President Frank Siebert for many years and we thank him for his service to the project. 
 
 
 
For more than a decade, the Babylon Rotary Club has been purchasing Christmas Gifts for the teens at SCO Family of Services.  Teens are often forgotten this time of year as most of the focus is on toys for younger children.  Thank you to Megan Noble for once again heading up this project for our club!   Director of Community Engagement, Marnie Katzman, joined us our club for lunch on December 7th to accept our donations & share more about the young men and women who will be receiving our gifts.  
 
With our nation facing skyrocketing inflation, the price of turkeys up over 50% this year! The Babylon Rotary Club entered the Thanksgiving Season unsure of how much support we would be able to offer our local soup kitchens and food pantries.  THANKS TO the savvy negotiation skills of  Past District Gov. Frank Seibert & the generosity of BJs Wholesale Club in Farmingdale our club was able to donate 320 Turkeys this year to Food 4 UR Soul Int' Kitchen, Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, St. Nicholas Greek Church, North Babylon Food Pantry, Nourish Babylon, United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, The Ryan Outreach Center,  The BBQ Brethern & The Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition.  These funds were raised at the 17th Annual 10K Dirty Sock Run!  SO thank you again to all of our Dirty Sock Run sponsors & runners for making that event so successful!   Additional Thank you to Rotarian Patrick Ford for helping run this successful project!
 
On November 9th at the Long Island Yacht Club in Babylon, The Babylon Rotary Club met to celebrate 75 years of service.  We were joined by 18 Past Presidents dating back to 1966 as well as members of the Lindenhurst & Bay Shore Rotary Clubs.  It was the Bay Shore Rotary Club that sponsored our club in 1947.  President Kristen Morse accepted citations on behalf of our club from Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaeffer (presented by Town Councilman Terrence McSweeney), Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter, Village of Babylon Mary E. Adams (Presented by Deputy Mayor Frank Seibert), as well as NY Assemblyman Michael Durso. Paul Harris Pins were presented to Gail Sullivan & Dr. Krishna Gujavarty.  Past President Scott Lockwood gave a rousing speech, taking us on a stroll down memory lane before presenting Service Above Self Awards to Gus Fishel & Ed Miller for outstanding service to our club.  Our Socks, T-Shirt & Underwear Drive for veterans culminated in a moving presentation from General Needs founder Lonnie Sherman.  The event garnered attention from the local press, you may have seen articles in South Bay Neighbor as well as the Babylon Beacon. It was a lovely afternoon of fellowship & fun. Thank you Rotarian Bonnie Heller for leading the 75th Anniversary Luncheon Committee & President Elect Corey Peters for organizing such an amazing event.    
 
 
 
On November 16th at the Annual Evan R. Liblit Memorial Scholarship Fund Breakfast, our West Islip Interact Club was presented with 1st Place & $500 for their Recycle Bin design.  Amongst stiff competition of 8 different Interact Clubs and 12 different designs, the West Islip Club beat out all other entries.  Thank you Past President Megan Noble for your continuing leadership as chairwoman of our Youth Service committee.  
 
On December 8th, Assistant District Governor John Cuccia from the Farmingdale Rotary Club presented the Babylon Rotary Club with a banner acknowledgement for being an EVERY ROTARIAN EVERY YEAR Club for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year.  Our club celebrated 100% participation in our club's efforts to raise money for the Rotary Foundation.  100% of our club members donated AT LEAST $100 to the Rotary Foundation.  The Rotary Foundation helps Rotary members advance world understanding, goodwill & peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment & alleviating poverty.  Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 Billion on life changing, sustainable projects.   TO learn more about the Rotary Foundation Click Here. 
 
The #1 most requested item by homeless veterans is clean socks, underwear & T-Shirts.
 
In honor of Veterans day, Babylon Rotary Club will be collecting new T-Shirts, Underwear & Socks to be donated to General Needs Ltd. and be distributed to homeless veterans. You can drop of items at any of the locations below OR shop our AMAZON WISH LIST
 
On Weds on 8/24/22, the Babylon Rotary Club met at Camp-Pa-Qua-Tuck to prepare & service lunch to their campers. We prepared Meatball Parm Subs & Spinach Salad.  
 
Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck – dedicated to the benefit of special needs individuals of Long Island and beyond – stands today, not from the efforts of one organization, but rather as a culmination of a tremendous wave of effort from many Rotary Clubs throughout District 7255.
 
Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck maintains a more than 70-year track record for making the dreams of individuals with disabilities a reality. Each year, they invite thousands of campers to enjoy a session of summer fun at our 37-acre site on the shores of Kaler’s Pond in Center Moriches.
 
At Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck, the campers experience the joys of boating, arts and crafts, music, adaptive sports and games, swimming, campfires and more. In a supportive environment, the counselors encourage campers to reach outside their comfort zones and join with their fellow campers in activities designed to enhance their lives.
 
 
 
 
WHAT A TERRIFIC DAY WE HAD ON RACE DAY!  Hopefully by now everyone has seen the amazing coverage we received in the Babylon Beacon about our fundraiser!  The morning was cool and sunny.  The trail was pristine.  The juicy watermelon, cold beer & hot dogs were greatly appreciated by runners at our after party.  Our new swag item, the Dirty Sock Run HAT was a HUGE hit. We already have a Bulk Food Buy in the works for our local soup kitchens. 
 
Thank you to SKIP, Babylon Village, volunteers & sponsors!  BIG THANK YOU to our PLATINUM LEVEL SPONSOR,  Rotarian GAIL SULLIVAN!
 
 
Paul Harris Fellow,  Ed Miller

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.  This is Ed's 3rd Paul Harris Award

Rotary established the recognition in 1957 to encourage and show appreciation for substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships.

 
 
Certificate of Appreciation, STAR BAKER AWARD,  Alice Cromarty
 
All of our members offer our deepest appreciation for Alice.  Alice has baked us homemade desserts for every meeting since we have returned to in person meetings after COVID lock downs.  Past President Megan Noble presented her with a Certificate of Appreciation as our STAR BAKER!  
 
 
 
 
 
Welcome New Member Patrick Ford!   Patrick Ford is the Pastor of the West Islip Church of Christ and is currently serving as President of the Babylon Interfaith Clergy Cluster.  
 
 
Babylon Rotary Club President Megan Noble presented Save the Great South Bay Director Robyn Silvestri with a donation of $1000.  The club enjoyed lunch & a thorough review of all of Save the Great South Bay's diligent efforts to keep our waterways clean. 
 
Babylon Rotary Club donates 250 Turkeys to local community groups for Thanksgiving Dinners!:  Thank you to Rotarians Frank Seibert & Paul Cannella who head up this project for us every year.  Every Thanksgiving the Babylon Rotary Club donates hundreds of turkeys to food pantries and soup kitchens through the Town of Babylon.  It was a pleasure to work with Noel Campbell of the Gerard J. Ryan Outreach Center and Vito Coletti of the Mercy Inn to get Thanksgiving Turkeys to those who need them. We also worked in conjunction with BBQ Brethren & Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition to cook, box and deliver Thanksgiving meals to cancer victims, families & veterans in need. 
 
It was a dark rainy day and the trail was sloppy BUT that didn't stop our runners, volunteers & Rotarians from raising money for a GREAT CAUSE!  Thank you race director Josie Bogdahn for making it all happen!
 
Only 200 Tickets will be sold. (Tickets are going quickly and as of last night we only had 50 left.) Tickets cost $50. Donate $50 here to purchase a raffle.
 
First Prize = $2,000 2nd Prize = $1,000 3rd Prize = $500
 
Winner to be drawn on July 7th at the 2021 Babylon Rotary Club Induction Dinner at the Babylon Village Pool. Winner need not be present to claim prize.
 
Continuing a 50+ year club tradition of sapling donations, our club distributed 1300 saplings to local 1st graders within our club's service area.  Over the years, Babylon Rotary Club has distributed 95,000 seedlings to elementary school children.  Many stately trees, planted and cared for over the years by eager students, can be seen throughout our community.
 
 
Members of the Community Garden Committee had a great time volunteering at the Nathaniel Conklin House Community Garden Project!
 
As part of Rotary's Million Mask Challenge, members of our club distributed masks to several local food pantries and soup kitchens.  Over the course of the next month, our club will be distributing 5,000 masks to local organizations in our service area that focus on feeding the needy. 
 
Our annual Shoe Drive was a huge success this year!  Thank you to our local community for donations!  According to Soles4Souls our efforts helped keep 556 lbs of textiles our of landfills & equal enough to feed, shelter & educate a family in Haiti for 8 months!!
 
250 Turkeys were donated to BBQ Brethren, Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition & other local feeding ministries.
Donate $20 to our FB Fundraiser & comment the Name of Your COVID Hero. Flags to be prominently displayed on the lamp posts in Babylon Village for July 4th weekend.

$20 Donation - Honor a friend, nurse, first responder, essential worker, parent, veteran, or co-worker with the purchase of an american flag to Honor Your Hometown Hero. 8"x12" American Flag will be placed on one of the lamp post within Babylon Village along with a name tag identifying your COVID Hero.

The Babylon Rotary Club is a 50-member volunteer organization of business and professional leaders, one of the 78 clubs of Rotary District 7255 that serves all of Long Island, dedicated to humanitarian service and to help build goodwill and peace throughout the world.

Our members connect at weekly meetings and learn from business experts, political and civic leaders, and entrepreneurs, who help us stay informed on topics that are relevant to our community.

Together, we are making great things happen — in our community and in the larger world. We have a structure that focuses on action and positive results. We also have a lot of fun — whether socializing or working on service projects.

What We Do — Projects

While we initiate and participate in many local, national and international projects. the primary focus of our club over the past few years has been helping alleviate hunger in our community. (For more info on this visit our website)

Our catalog of current projects includes:

Bulk Food Purchases for Soup Kitchens, Arbor Day Tree Program, Scholarships, & Children’s Literacy.
This week our club was recognized by the Babylon Interfaith Clergy Cluster for our support of their feeding ministries. President Jim Kanzler, President Elect Josie Titcomb, & Secretary Kristen Morse accepted a certificate of appreciation on behalf of our club from Clery Cluster President Pastor Patrick Ford from West Islip Church of Christ, VP Rev. Clare Nesmith from Christ Episcopal Church, Babylon, NY, Treasurer Rev. Joanne Bond from Cross of Christ Lutheran Church & Ret. Rev. Leonard Davis from Bethel A.M.E Church in Babylon.
 
For more information regarding our efforts to feed the needy... CLICK HERE.
 
Thank You For Your Sock Donations!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Upcoming Events
  • Club Meeting
    LI Yacht
    Jan. 08, 2025
    12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
  • Club Meeting
    LI Yacht
    Jan. 22, 2025
    12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Speakers
Mary Tufano
Jan 08, 2025
Nutrition
Pastor Bond
Jan 22, 2025 12:30 PM
Lutheran Church
 
Rotary Publications
Club Links
Club Executives & Directors
President
Secretary
President Elect
BRC 70th Anniversary