As our 4th Friday lunch project for March, we supported Senior Care Services of Greater Princeton (SCSGP) and their "Soup for Seniors" food drive. Club members purchased non-perishable canned food and we collected and repackaged this food for further distribution to home bound senior citizens.
We also made a $1,000 contribution to SCSGP to help support their good work in the community. SCSGP Executive Director Adriana Morabito was on hand to accept the grant and talk about the positive community impact of this food drive and their other work.
On Friday March 21st our speaker was current Rotary Club of Princeton Corridor member Donna Murray who presented her bio story. Donna is currently a real estate partner with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and Fox and Roach Realtors. Donna has been a full time real estate agent serving the Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Burlington Counties for over 25 years. She is a top selling agent in sales volume for the BHHS Princeton office.
Donna is also the President of the Senior Care Services of Greater Princeton. SCSGP engages volunteers to assist home-bound seniors within a 10 mile radius of Princeton to age gracefully in place and to preserve their independence by providing transportation , food, shopping and friendly visits.
Current Princeton Corridor Rotary Club member John Papakonstantinou, from Amboy Bank and Colleen O Havecker Amboy Bank Monroe Branch Manager, were our speakers at our weekly meeting at the Hyatt Regency Princeton on Friday March 14. John and Colleen’s topic was how to identify and avoid fraud for not only businesses but also individuals. Their focus was on common scams and check fraud that target small businesses and individuals and how to protect yourself and your business.
Veronica Finley, the Director of Development for The Center for Great Expectations, visited our club on Friday March 14 to introduce the members to her organization. The Center for Great Expectations is a safe place, safe presence and a safe path for pregnant and parenting women and their children as well as men seeking treatment for substance use and mental health disorders. The Center is a part of the 2% of programs that allow mom’s to stay with their children during substance and mental health treatment. They offer both residential treatment and permanent supportive housing.
Our speaker on Friday March 7 was Captain Tom Murray, American Airlines Chief Pilot and husband of current club member Donna Murray.
In February, Tom piloted the American Airlines plane which flew the Philadelphia Eagles back home from New Orleans and their Super Bowl victory. (photo of Tom holding the Vince Lombardi trophy is attached).
Tom has 52 years in aviation of which over 40 was with American Airlines. Tom is currently number nine in seniority at American Airlines. He did his pilot training at McGuire Air force base. He joined the Air Force and flew in Desert Storm. Tom lists flying Pope Francis on “Shepherd One” in 2015 as the highlight of his professional life.
Callie Crowder the executive director of The Maker’s Place, joined the Princeton Corridor Rotary on Friday February 28 at the Hyatt Regency Princeton as the Rotary Club contributed 5,474 diapers (and wipes) to the Maker’s Place “Diaper Depot”.
Callie was also kind enough to present the Rotary Club with a certficate of Appreciation for contributing 9,677 diapers and wipes in 2024.
The Maker’s Place is a diaper bank and hope center sponsored by United Methodists of Greater New Jersey. Launched in 2018, the Maker’s Place is a resource center that serves less fortunate communities in the area.
The Rotary Club of Princeton Corridor was once again helping the less fortunate in the local community. On Friday February 28 the Princeton Corridor Rotary packed diapers and wipes for the Maker’s Place “Diaper Depot”. According to Callie Crowder, the Executive Director of the Maker’s Place, the Princeton Corridor Rotary Club contributed 5,474 diapers (and wipes)! The Maker’s Place “Diaper Depot” is a local diaper bank in Trenton, NJ that distributes free diapers in the Trenton area.
