Rotary Club of Englewood 2021 Virtual Awards Gala! | Join us and support Englewood Rotary and this year's honorees. | By Rotary Club of Englewood | They’re really looking out for you, They were really looking out for me. Oh, we’re recording our galaxy that on the galaxy night like the next thing that’s going to happen the journal’s going to run of all the people who took ads. And they’re dealing with the technical whatever to get that heart set up. Eddie is Kate going to watch with you. III don’t think so but let me check to be sure she should do it because there’s some fabulous surprises coming up. She doesn’t like the prizes for me, but maybe from you guys. There are are there. Oh, look how nice you look. Oh beautiful. Oh thank you. Congratulations Alicia. Thank you. there’s Joyce Gross. Alita. Congratulations. You’re alita, who, said Alita, who said that and that’s this is Scott. Congratulations. Scott. I don’t see you click the button. I’m here. click the Lina how you doing. I’m not Hi Scott Congratulations Alita. That’s Carol. Congratulations. Selena and Scott Thank you. Karen Bernstein Hi, Sharon. Hi Sharon Congratulations. Congratulations Alicia and Scott. Hey everybody. Thank you. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. This is Selena’s show. everybody. Hi, How are you? How are you doing everybody? Congratulations? Alicia. Congratulations. Thank you. Congratulations. Hi Lisa. Hi Michael. All of a sudden thank you. Hi Lisa. How are you say hello to Phyllis Brown? Hey Phyllis. who’s that who’s that? it’s Missy. Congratulations. How would I get to know my popular demand? last year? you. It’s true. Somebody should mute everybody. Okay, I’ll mute. Hi Sonia. I’d like to say congratulations. I saw her name. congratulations to our winners. Howard Horton Thank you. Mister are your new position? Thank you so much. Thank you and congratulations to you. Here’s my son. There’s my son, hey, Jim Boyer. video. Look at where AM I Wendy Ward. Howard Bring me up to date what you’re doing. Governor John. Hi Wendy. how you doing. Hi hi good to see you absolutely good to see you as well. Have You’ve been good excellent excellent. I’m from the Where’s your tuxedo. What’s the celebration for Howard? Hey Eddie Hey Kaye. It’s so good to see you. Mm hmm. mm, hmm. Somebody’s phone number, but no photos. no video She’s muted everybody now. I just unmuted welcome. by popular demand after doing such a great job last year. Here’s your host. Harry Martin. Kind of it you very much Donovan. I really appreciate that. welcome. everybody looks like we have a lively group tonight and that’s that’s always a good sign. might I ask everyone to put everybody’s microphones on mute if you’d like to use speaker view tonight, that would be excellent because that way you’ll be able to see some of the wonderful videos that we’ve prepared for you later on this evening and I’m truly honored to welcome you to the Rotary Club’s Virtual Awards Gala. I’m Harry Martin and This year’s we have five truly wonderful remarkable citizens of Englewood, but before we get to all of our honorees tonight, I want you to take a look at what Rotary is all about. You probably know that Rotary is one of the most respected and recognized organizations in the world for 97 years, The Rotary Club of Englewood has exemplified Rotary international motto Service above self, in fact every minute of every day, Rotary feeds someone houses someone heals someone provides clean water to someone comforts someone somewhere around the world we. Life-saving surgery and we sponsor numerous programs that protect the environment and expand health care around the world Rotary logo. The spoke is recognized around the globe. We are one of the most financially sound and powerful service organizations in the entire world. That just gives you a little bit of an idea of what Rotary is all about, but I’m sure virtually everybody who is watching tonight really knows how great the Rotary Club of Englewood is it carries on this tradition? This really great service tradition of both internationally from Japan to Haiti and of course right here in our very own city of Englewood other cities throughout Bergen County now over the past year, much of the work we have done a Rotary has done has been helping to provide food to our neighbors in need. It’s been an entirely different kind of situation with the pandemic. As you’ll soon. soon see in just a few minutes, one of our members, Joyce Gross. we’re going to be showing Joyce in a kind of an unusual way she’s learned to cook for some 200 people, and that was no small feet. The club also offers a community grant program, which is outlined on our journal, which you can also see on our website and make sure you just take a look at that after the the program tonight, you’re going to be amazed at all the great organizations that Rotary has helped throughout Englewood and don’t forget. Please make a donation. There’s a really easy way to do it. All you have to do is just click in the chat box and you can make a donation there. There is a link there. There are instructions there and very easy to do and that’s really what part of all tonight is all about basically to help raise more funds for Rotary so Rotary can continue. It’s sensational work not only in the community, but also internationally well. it’s now my pleasure to introduce to you. Lisa Watts, Of course she is president of the Rotary Club of Englewood Good evening Lisa. How are you tonight? I’m? Thank you to our master of ceremonies, Harry Martin, who has added excitement to tonight’s event. I’m Lisa Wass this year’s president of the Rotary Club of Englewood and I want to welcome you to our second Virtual Gala. First, I want to thank those whose hard work and commitment made this event happen. a wonderful gala committee. Amy Sokol Charlotte Bennett, Jacqueline Gottman, Kathy Silverstein, Donovan And Phyllis Brown Edwards our amazing board and members. all of our event sponsors those who bought journal ads and all of our supporters, including our district thirty-seven legislators, mayor and council, and of course our incredible honorees whom you will meet shortly Rotary is made up of 1.2000000 volunteers from across the globe The Rotary Club of Englewood is an active diverse group of community members. And leaders. through our service projects and strategic partnerships, we help improve lives locally nationally and globally Rotary international recently launched a people of action Global ad campaign and our club embraced this focus. what a busy year it’s been recent international projects include helping fund nursing students in an undeserved. Of Haiti, helping to train artisans in Mexico impacted by COVID partnering with the on Sunrise Rotary Club to support a Honduras water project and supporting the Rotary Foundation’s Polio Eradication program closer to home We work to help combat food insecurity in Englewood with our bins at ShopRite, which we regularly and donate to the center for food action and Rotarians. Chef Dionne and preparing and packaging meals for Englewood residents most of our grants this year went to combating food insecurity in Englewood, a major focus of Rotary is on youth and we really ramped up our involvement this year at first a successful Rotary Club of Englewood team piece program that brought together students from all five of Englewood middle schools, public and private together they participated in a flat rock cleanup last week. And in a few weeks a culmination ceremony will be held around Englewood First Peace poll donated by our Rotary Club This program has been praised as a model for other rotary clubs We also sponsored a special birthday celebration for students at the Janus Dismiss Middle School, Another first we continued our support of the Bergen Family Center hippie program, which provides home. The parents of preschool youngsters and the JCC turn our school of music by helping to provide scholarships for Englewood families that need it. We also supported a mentorship program run by Bergen volunteers earlier this month, we prepared dictionaries for delivery to Englewood third graders and we can’t wait to distribute them in the near future this year. Rotary international added a new area of focus the environment. We organized a community wide cleanup of Mckay park that involved many of our youth in honor of Earth Day, and this was one of the highlights of our year. and that’s not all thanks to zoom We board and speakers from as far away as Germany with participants from all over the world, we have presenters from Portland and a few in a in a few weeks We will welcome a speaker from Iowa. We have made new. And truly appreciate the wide range of Rotary. We are people of action, but we cannot do this work without all of you We will now share with you pictures of your friends and neighbors in action as soon as you see someone you recognize, I want you to get on the chat box and please donate to Rotary your support will make a meaningful difference in the lives of all those we serve. Thank you and. Please enjoy our video. On behalf of the club, we’d like to present the disabled combat veteran youth program with the grant of $3000 for their hearts the program now go to work girl turn the light on. Hi, it’s Ken Rosenstein, the leader for sale. No no flame let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it get hot. Let it get hot. Hey, come here. Girl don’t say that. Huh, Huh keep going keep going? Valentine’s to many things to the Rotary Nice, He’s an awesome guy. You got it good job. you got it girl. Alright, Alyssa Thank you very much that you know that that looks like everybody’s having a lot fun tonight and that’s one of the things that I really love to see because it’s really important that you enjoy what you’re doing, especially when you’re giving to such a worthy cause like like Rotary. Don’t forget. I want to remind you about the chat box if you can’t find the link in the chat box by the way, scroll all the way to the top of it all the way to the top of the chat box. That’s where the link is and Amy. I don’t know maybe you can put the link in again because we had a lot of activity. The chat box tonight and everybody’s saying congratulations and saying hello and I think that’s really really kind of nice about these virtual events because you know you’re able to watch the video you’re able to say hello to all your friends, you’re able to kind of mingle like you would at a real Gala. We have some special recognition tonight for the Rotary Club. from some of our lawmakers, including the city of Englewood Council President Charles Cobb. Council president. It’s nice to see you. I saw you that you are here tonight. Cobb is given a proclamation on behalf of the city of Englewood to the Rotary Club, also from Legislative District 37 Senator Loretta Weinberg and Assemblywoman Valerie Huddle and Gordon Johnson. They also have a proclamation from the state of New Jersey and we thank you very very much for recognizing the great work that Rotary has done. I want to give a special shout out now to a couple of big wheel, donors and super wheel donors whose contributions have really helped Rotary throughout the year and we’re talking about we’re going to. Like Englewood Health, we thank you very much Benz Bush. Thank you for all of the work that you do in the community Connect one bank. We thank you. Ken Rosen. We thank you and all of Ken’s friends that donated and came tonight and Phil and I thank you very much. Jacqueline Gottman. We thank you very much. Also from Bergen Family Center. We have Mitch scheel with us tonight. Mitch. We thank you very much and I have a personal. Thank you and follow me through this everybody because this is. Make sense in just a moment I don’t know if you know about Mitch’s green thumb, but he has grown plants from seeds. Can you see that there They are There’s a method to my madness here I have yet to kill the plant that Mitch gave me. he grew these from seeds if you don’t want me to kill this plant, I want everybody to go to the chat box right now and donate to Rotary that way that will give me some motivation to make sure that I make this plant into a beautiful wonderful tomato and Mitch CEO and President of Bergen Family Center. We thank you very much for joining us tonight as well. Alright. Everybody knows about happy dollars right with Rotary when you have regular Rotary meetings, you give a happy dollar or a dollar or two, maybe $5 or something that has made you happy throughout the day could be to celebrate a graduation. could be for somebody who’s recovered from illness. It could be that’s just a beautiful day or it could be like a really cool plant like Mitch gave me anyway. what we’d like you to do is donate those happy dollars in the chat box. tonight go to the chat box. You can share that and you can also go to our website. Again all the contributions this evening will be used for the Rotary club and we’ll stay in the Englewood community. Alright, let’s get to why we’re here tonight and that is to present the Rotary Clubs Community Awards to five outstanding individuals now every year The Rotary presents this award to individuals or organizations who provide exemplary service to the community this year’s honorees are nominated by the Rotary. members of the Rotary who are familiar with their activities and their work that they have done for the community each and every of the. Honorees well known in Englewood and beyond they’re outstanding role models of civic engagement they make Englewood the wonderful city that it is we’ll have an in-depth profile of each and every one of them on our website, a kind of summarizes and also in the journal it summarizes what they have done but now to get everything rolling here to kick everything off. We have Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes to share some of his thoughts with us tonight. Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes here bringing a greeting to the Rotary and to introduce a leader. Frizzell Alita is not only one of the important members of the Rotary. She has been a past president and served on numerous committees as well as the governor’s group for the Rotary as well. But there isn’t a position in the city of Englewood from traffic Advisory to Environmental Commission, where I and other predecessor mayors have not felt confident in appointing her being appointed by multiple mayors to important stations in our city is a function of. That she’s held in the community and as well as the governing body of our city Alita is a very special person 25 years in the HR space. she has a son who’s a veteran in the of the military, as well as the NYPD and two grandsons who live in the New York area. But most importantly, she has endeared herself to just about every part of our city and the chronicle of Englewood history by contributing beautifully, I remember how elegant she was when I used to see her dance with witty English from the first days that I met her years ago to the just the. Sense of excellence and grace that she brings to every job and I have to tell you personally. she’s one of my role models my heroes coming through this pandemic because she knows not only service above self, but she leaves such an exemplary life trying to help their neighbors and friends with that. all I can say is we all love you? We wish you much congratulations on this special honor. Good evening I am deeply honored this evening to be one of the award recipients and to be among such esteemed fellow honorees. I would first like to thank my best friend Barry Lowe for his support and my son Kentrell, who is on this zoom this evening and as a veteran of the United States Army and a retired New York City police officer our president Lisa Wazowski the And my Rotary family and friends for their continuing support I want to acknowledge a few of my fellow Rotarian guests past district Governor Bonnie Sara Jim Boyer, John Mitchell and District Governor elect John Suzanne, who took time out of their busy schedules to be here. Thank you, Mayor and fellow Rotarian Michael Wiles Council president. Charles Cobb and Councilman Wayne Hamer newly retired police chief Lawrence Saffron and his lovely wife Courtney. a special shout out to my guest Patterson Councilwoman at lodge doctor Larisa Mims I have been a proud Englewood resident for all of my life. I am the daughter of an English teacher and my father was a supervisor and union steward in transportation I had. The Rotary sign in many towns before and always wondered about that famous wheel and what it stood for I am still learning all of the wonderful things that Rotary does locally and internationally I am so proud to be a member of the largest humanitarian organization in the world. promoting peace was 1.2000000 members it has. My honor to have served as the first African American female president of Englewood Rotary and the first district wide senior assistant governor in closing I would like to again thank President Lisa Wazowski the board and all of my friends and family who have joined to support me this evening. I am truly honored and humbled. Well, thank you very much and congratulations to alita. We also want to send a special greeting to a congressman Bill Paso, who happens to be is still in Washington working hard for the people of Englewood and Ritzy Morales is chief of staff is joining us on the call tonight so Richie Thank you very much for joining us Also councilwoman at large doctor Elisa Mims District Governor Bonnie Sauer Jim Boyer, John Mitchell, Nikki Medeiros all past governors and the retired police Chief Lawrence S and his wife, Courtney, and of course Englewood. Council President Charles Cobb and Councilman Wayne Hamer. We thank you all for joining us and we thank you very much for your support tonight and recognition of Ali’s honor this evening as well, let’s go on to our next honoree right now because this gentleman I’ve known for several years. His name is Scott Redeem and he gets one of our community Service awards tonight. He has a family history of serving the community. He’s the past President of the Rotary in Englewood. Volunteer for over 30 years as a public official, a board member and get this he’s also a DJ. A lot of you know that, but here’s here’s the great thing about what Scott did with his DJing as you probably know he was the former executive director of the Southeast Senior Center for Independent Living better known as Cecil, which has since merged with Bergen Family Center Scott was so inventive with his talents about Djing that he used it at Cecil to help seniors get up move around and and make sure. They were having fun at Cecil and then when the when the pandemic hit, he continued to do his DJ parties remotely so that the seniors would have some sort of entertainment. He did such a great job. so Scott we thank you so much for that. Scott’s also a big brother. He was named a point of light and and that’s an honor that you probably know about that one person a day is given that honor in the United States. Scott was a point of light, which is a pretty big. His philosophy is you never know how much of an impact you can make on someone else’s life. so we congratulate tonight. Scott redeem I would like to thank the Rotary for giving me this award. It means a lot to me I want to congratulate my fellow honorees. Ken Alita, Chef Dionne and Michael They’re all leaders in our community and well deserved to be recognized tonight. I would like to thank my wife, Hetty and daughter Nadia for the support of my volunteer activities Sometimes I don’t think people understand what volunteering is all about your friends and family know that I’m notorious for telling stories but I have to tell you one approximately. Years ago, I was helping a woman move she was living in the shelter at what was then called shelter Our sisters, I spent several hours helping this woman move furniture and household items to her new apartment where she could start a new life free of violence as I was saying goodbye, this woman starts to cry at the same time she reached into her pocketbook and tried to hand me a $10 bill. I didn’t understand what was going on. She said that she. Give me a tip for spending all that time helping her move, but that was all the money she had and she was very upset that she could not give me more. I said it was a pleasure to help her move and I never accept money. It was then I realized that she literally did not understand the concept of people doing things just to be nice. She said that no one had ever done something for her for free. They always wanted something in return. I said that they’re actually a great deal of people who would do the same thing by. That day we accomplished two things one, we moved her furniture but more importantly, she understood that many people are kind and the world isn’t such a bad place Both of us were better people from this experience and that is what volunteering is all about. Well, congratulations. Scott. We thank you very much for all you do for the community and particularly as a board member of Bergen Family Center. I thank you very much for all the hard work that you put in at the Bergen Family Center as well. We’re getting some some some pledges tonight and the the chatbox are are lighting up. Amy. So we thank you. Louise Schwartz. We thank you. Vernon Reid. Thank you. Michael Pasa. We thank you and Bonnie Sierra. We thank you tonight. We also have Mitch Thank you. Donating for the guy on the bicycle, I think that was you and and my pass out. Thank you very much for your donation in honor of Rotary tonight our third award goes to Ken Rosen. He is a combination physician. He’s a public official. He’s a community volunteer. Ken was born in Brooklyn. He attended Brown University and Yale Medical School. He chairs the Department of Radiation and Oncology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He specializes. Treatment of lung cancer and mesothelioma is authored over 150 scientific papers and he is lectured throughout the world. He has a huge commitment to the city of Englewood. He was the first Ward city councilman from 2006 to 2000. 2011. He’s he had two terms as president, he returned to council this year. he serves on the planning board. He was chair in 2020 He served on the board of Flat Rock Brook Nature Center. Of course, he is a proud member of the Rotary Club, Ken and his wife Stacey, who is a pediatrician, have lived in Englewood for 24 years. Congratulations to you Ken and we thank you so much for what you do for the community. I’d like to congratulate Rotary of Englewood on this year’s gala and thank them for including me in the community Awards. I’d also like to congratulate the other awardees this year for all the work they’ve done for Rotary and for the community at large when I look at Rotary International’s mission of service over self and improving integrity. I’m inspired by the work that they’ve done to eradicate disease provide clean drinking water and improve sanitation this year has. An extremely challenging year and Rotary of Englewood has stepped up to fight against food insecurity and other issues and really help out in the community. So once again, I’d like to congratulate Rotary of Englewood on this year’s gala and thank them and best wishes to everyone. Alright, Ken and we thank you very much for all you do for the community. Our next award is going to Michael Shannon, but before we get to that, I want to make sure that everybody knows that you can make donations in the chat box. Click on the link. You can make a donation there. We’re going to read some of the donations as they come in. We’ve been doing very very well tonight, but I know we can do better so if you haven’t done so already go to the chat box right now and please donate to Rotary. Alright on Michael Shannon. Now he is a community service award. And tonight he is founding president of the northern New Jersey Community Foundation. He’s that’s it was established with a group of fellow Rotary members as the Englewood Community Foundation back in 1998, The mission of the foundation is to improve community life through its work and education and public health civic engagement The arts philanthropy and the environment it meshes really really well with what the mission of Rotary is all about. Michael is deeply interested in. Through the arts, he served on the board of the Bergen Performing Arts Center, and he of course, is a renaissance man. Listen to this, He has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Princeton University. He has his master’s of education and adult education from Columbia Teachers College. He has a masters in anthropology from Columbia University as well, he served in the United States Navy as a foreign intelligence officer in Morocco and San Francisco. I want to hear some stories. He worked in design in many capacities, including pre K through twelve educational consulting and design technology, education and service learning a design management and consulting and freelance furniture design. He lives in Englewood and congratulations tonight goes to Michael Shannon. Good evening Rotarians I want to thank you very much for this recognition this evening. very much appreciated of course. I want to stress something that everyone knows but it it bears repeating that anything that we accomplish is on the shoulders of so many other people and I particularly want to recognize the excellent team we have at the foundation. which is doing so well, very much appreciated. I want to know that we’re very pleased to see that Rotary is making a major movement into climate change remediation, which is an urgent topic that we have. We’re also devoting a larger piece of our effort going forward in this area and look forward to working with Rotary more closely over the coming months and years in that area. And finally I just want to say again. again, something you know, but bears repeating and that is Rotary is really an extraordinary organization. unlike any other group that I’ve worked with. when you have an organization that has something like a four-way test and a watch or service above self it really is something special and everyone all of us should be. To be associated with this organization and it’s on that basis that I’m even more pleased to receive this honor this evening. so thank you very much. It is my pleasure to present chef the cocoa with the President’s award tonight Chef Dionne always had a passion for the Culinary arts he served in the US Marine Corps as a food service specialist aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F Kennedy cooking for 7000 Marines He is currently the executive chef at Bergen Community College. Is also a community service leader serving as founder and president of the disabled combat Veterans Youth Program mentoring young people in Bergen County, The culinary Cadets program instructs young people in the art of cooking while instilling skills like critical thinking respect for others and time management when the COVID pandemic began Chef the young. Weekly programs to provide food for those in Englewood with food insecurity These programs included Tuesday’s table to table and the Hot Wheels Food program The Rotary Club of Englewood partnered with Chef Dionne right from the beginning with grants and later volunteering with food preparation and our club was so impressed by chef D’s work. Congratulations Chef Dionne It is our privilege to honor you. first and foremost. I want to thank the Englewood Rotary Club for their support. I want to thank all my volunteers, which are from the entire community. The volunteers have been amazing here nonstop They just always always concerned about. Is it enough food and that’s what I’m talking about. you know folks putting that extra love into the community the team. Amazing to my wife. Sweetheart I love you so much baby girl you have done so much to keep me straight. You help me out and you’re just an amazing wife and I’m lucky to have you and I’m blessed to have you and I just want you to know that I adore you with all my heart. This is an honor to the for me to receive the President’s award from the Englewood Rotary Club. You guys have been huge in the community and helping us to. Help everyone else and we’re going to continue. I’m so thankful and grateful for this opportunity and to be able to be recognized and to help those in need. our hearts are open. I love everyone stop by say hi crack a joke here and there I’ll talk. love people. Thank you. God bless everyone. It’s easy to see why chef Dion is so popular and why he received this award tonight. What an absolutely sensational guy he is and he’s done so much for the Englewood community and he’s done so much for so many people throughout Englewood, speaking of which I like I like when my phone gets text because that means people are donating tonight. Bonnie’s Stephen Wenner We thank you again for your donation tonight. Mary Sorry, Mary I apologize. Maryssa Laurie Poulsen Alan Zimmerman and John Adams. We thank you if you have not donated yet the chat box is over there to your right just go there. click on the link. You can also donate at our website as well, You know for 98 years the Rotary Club of Englewood has provided service above self to many aspects of the Englewood Community Rotary helped established the Little League. It’s provided support for victims of disaster around the world. It’s supported internships for for teens and. Here in town, you can support these activities and a lot more that is where your donation is going tonight. I urge you to donate right now. remember throw in some of those happy dollars as well because they always help. We’re not finished yet though, make sure you go to our website, Englewood NJ rotary.org you can check out how to donate there if you haven’t done so already, but we want to make sure that we end tonight on a super super positive. Note. Keep that positive energy going so we have a ticktock video, specially prepared for us tonight and you’re urge to stay and chat with each other and chat online and make sure you donate to the Rotary Club of Englewood. You can’t. Tell me what you want. Oh my god. They are the very models of a modern day Rotary. they’re always optimistic and they’re all humanitarian do lots of service projects that are good for the community from cleaning up the parks to helping get COVID immunity. That’ll wrap it up for us tonight that was Bonnie Sierra by the way she is that Gilbert and Sullivan singer, and she wrote many of the parodies for the the Rotary Gala honorees as well in past years. We’ve had a great night tonight. I thank you so much for joining us. Don’t forget to donate. go to the website. go to the chat box Please stay and then and talk to each other and and just catch up on old times again. It’s it’s a shame that it has to be a virtual Gala, but you know what sometimes these are. Better because you can join from your home and you know sometimes you can you know save on car fare. I don’t know and make it into a happy dollar. you can donate instead of instead of paying for gas. so anyway, we thank you very much for joining us tonight. I’m honored that you’ve asked me to emcee tonight and my thanks to the Rotary of Englewood for asking me to do so. I hope you have a good night. everybody. Thank you. You’re that hungry that you wanted to eat. You may now open your microphones. Hey everybody that was great. And everybody I want to this is Lisa was the president of the Rotary Club. I also want to acknowledge Tracy Zoo Bergen County Commissioner Thank you for joining us tracy. It means a lot to us. Hey Kent Hey how you doing who’s that? it’s Joyce. Hey, how you doing. Joyce. I’m good good. good. Your mom was awesome. Yeah, but I think that little baby is better right