Thank you for the overwhelming support of our Flags For Heroes Project. To those who have reached out and purchased a flag, your donation will enable the Sullivan Central Rotary Club NY continue its good work in our community.
We can't wait to celebrate with the donors and our community in recognition of these honored heroes, however, we are disappointed to have to postpone the Celebration Ceremony from this Monday (Memorial Day) until June 14, 2026 (Flag Day) at 11am.
We were notified by our supplier that there has been a supply/delivery issue for American Flags due to the 250th Celebrations going on across the country. We ordered our supplies as originally discussed, but due to unforeseen circumstance in the demand issue, the Flags just arrived today, and the flag poles are not due to come in until at least Tuesday.
Rotarians are if nothing else, flexible in making necessary changes to get things done. We are grateful to those in the Sullivan County, NY Government Center, specifically DPW Commissioner Ed McAndrew and his staff, and County Manager Josh Potosek and his staff for working in collaboration to help shift this Celebration to an alternate date. In addition, thank you to the members of the Sullivan County Legislators, especially Chair Nadia Rajsz and Luis Alvarez, Dan Hust (Director of Communications), and Stephen Walsh from the Veteran Services for all their support and networking to help put this project together.
And, when Assembly Member Paula Elaine Kay and Senator Peter Oberacker found out we were seeking sponsors to help with costs, both immediately signed on to this bring great supporters of the cause! Thank you!
Please forgive the delay. We appreciate your understanding. And, please note - Flags are still available! Please reach out for more information!
Trying to find a way to honor a hero in your life? The Sullivan Central Rotary Club is selling Flags for Heroes. Each flag purchased will be displayed at the Sullivan County Government Center from Memorial Day 2026 through July 4, 2026 with a ceremony at 10 am on Memorial Day, May 26, 2026. Honor Veterans, parents, police, community members, doctors – whomever is your hero. A commemorative medallion will be available to hang on the flag pole or to take with you to hang in your home. Flags are purchased for a donation of $50 each with proceeds to benefit the community work done by the Sullivan Central Rotary Club and to begin a Scholarship Fund. For more information, call 845 798-1770 or email sullivancentralrotaryclub@gmail.comor fill out the form below.
Sullivan Central Rotary Flags for Heroes Available NOW!
Sullivan Central Rotary Club Walks to End Alzheimer’s
Our Sullivan Central Rotary Club members gathered at Bethel Woods on October 25, 2025 to take part in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
Together, we walked in support of all those affected by this heartbreaking disease and in hope of a future without Alzheimer’s raising to date over $2000 for the cause
It’s not too late to donate..every dollar makes a difference in the fight to end Alzheimer’s. No donation is too big or too small when it comes to making an impact.
Sullivan Central Rotary Club raised over $2,500 with the “Baskets of Hope” Raffle to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation during the “Lemonade and Sweet Treats of Wishes” at Cunningham Family Farm on October 18. This annual event was inspired by Wish Kid Madelyn and her siblings Hannah, Adam, and Noah who run this special “Treats Stand” to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley. Pictured L-R: Sullivan Central Rotary Club Executive Secretary Lori Orestano-James, Board Member Jodi Goodman, Membership Chair Jackie Rutledge, Co-President Brad Rutledge, Make-a-Wish Baskets of Hope Committee Member Melinda Little Green, Secretary & Chair Alyssa Wowk, Board Member Lauree Novogrodsky, Make-A-Wish Event Chair Colleen Cunningham, and Co-President Peter Chester.
Sullivan Central Rotary Club Walks to End Alzheimer’s
Our Sullivan Central Rotary Club members gathered at Bethel Woods on October 25, 2025 to take part in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
Together, we walked in support of all those affected by this heartbreaking disease and in hope of a future without Alzheimer’s raising to date over $2000 for the cause
It’s not too late to donate..every dollar makes a difference in the fight to end Alzheimer’s. No donation is too big or too small when it comes to making an impact.
For the month of November they have planned the Not a Les Nessman Turkey Drop Collection, and will be working with the Regional Food Bank of the Hudson Valley for a Thanksgiving and More food distribution.
So much more being planned for the remainder of the Rotary year, so Lake and follow the Sullivan Central Rotary Club Facebook page to learn more about what the club is doing and if interested, how to join in the good work of Service Above Self
An estimated 500 million people worldwide became infected. Many cities closed theaters and cinemas, and placed restrictions on public gatherings. Rotary clubs adjusted their activities while also helping the sick.
This is how Rotary responded to the influenza pandemic that began in 1918 and came in three waves, lasting more than a year.
The Rotary Club of Berkeley, California, USA, meets in John Hinkel Park during the 1918 flu pandemic.
Photo by Edwin J. McCullagh, 1931-32 club president. Courtesy of the Rotary Club of Berkeley.
Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.
During World War II, Rotary informed and educated members about the formation of the United Nations and the importance of planning for peace. Materials such as the booklet “From Here On!” and articles in The Rotarian helped members understand the UN before it was formally established and follow its work after its charter.
Many countries were fighting the war when the term “United Nations” was first used officially in the 1942 “Declaration by United Nations.” The 26 nations that signed it pledged to uphold the ideals expressed by the United States and the United Kingdom the previous year of the common principles “on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.”
Women are active participants in Rotary, serving their communities in increasing numbers and serving in leadership positions in Rotary. The 1989 Council on Legislation vote to admit women into Rotary clubs worldwide remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary.
“My fellow delegates, I would like to remind you that the world of 1989 is very different to the world of 1905. I sincerely believe that Rotary has to adapt itself to a changing world,” said Frank J. Devlyn, who would go on to become RI president in 2000-01.
The vote followed the decades-long efforts of men and women from all over the Rotary world to allow the admission of women into Rotary clubs, and several close votes at previous Council meetings.
Every hero has an origin story. “I was 10 years old when the entire journey started,” explains Binish Desai. It began with a cartoon called Captain Planet, an animated TV series from the 1990s about an environmentalist with superpowers. Desai can still recite the show’s refrain: Captain Planet, he’s our hero / Gonna take pollution down to zero! “That tagline stuck in my mind,” he says. “I wanted to do something to help Captain Planet.”
In early 1919, Rotarian Roger Pinneo of Seattle, Washington, USA, traveled to the Philippines to try to organize a Rotary club in Manila. Leon J. Lambert, a Manila business leader helped Pinneo establish the club. Several months later, on 1 June 1919, the Rotary Club of Manila was chartered and became the first Rotary club in Asia.
The club would be the only one in the country for more than 12 years. Eventually, Manila club members organized Rotary clubs in the Philippine cities of Cebu (1932) and Iloilo (1933). Iloilo club members then started a club in Bacolod (1937), and Rotary continued to expand across the country.
An estimated 500 million people worldwide became infected. Many cities closed theaters and cinemas, and placed restrictions on public gatherings. Rotary clubs adjusted their activities while also helping the sick.
Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.
Every hero has an origin story. “I was 10 years old when the entire journey started,” explains Binish Desai. It began with a cartoon called Captain Planet, an animated TV series from the 1990s about an environmentalist with superpowers. Desai can still recite the show’s refrain: Captain Planet, he’s our hero / Gonna take pollution down to zero! “That tagline stuck in my mind,” he says. “I wanted to do something to help Captain Planet.”
In early 1919, Rotarian Roger Pinneo of Seattle, Washington, USA, traveled to the Philippines to try to organize a Rotary club in Manila. Leon J. Lambert, a Manila business leader helped Pinneo establish the club. Several months later, on 1 June 1919, the Rotary Club of Manila was chartered and became the first Rotary club in Asia.