District 7410 - District Clubs

The New Milford Rotary Club had its first official meeting on February 28, 1948 and its Charter Night on May 13, 1948. The Club’s name was changed to the New Milford Area Rotary Club in 1987. Originally an all-male organization (spouses were honorary members), full membership was opened to women in 1988 when Agnes Jones became a member. Evening meetings were held at the Park View Hotel until its dining room closed, at which time it moved its weekly meetings to the Green Gables where they have been held been ever since. Meetings are now Wednesdays at noon, except for the first Thursday of the month when we host a dinner meeting at 5:15. In addition to the weekly meetings, the Club has gatherings in members homes; an summer picnic was once an annual tradition; a Christmas party is still held every year. The New Milford Area Rotary Club is a service organization, dedicated to supporting community programs in the local area as well as those beyond New Milford as part of Rotary International. While these programs cover a broad spectrum, the major emphasis is on those that benefit children. Major projects include: The Exchange Student program has sent many local students to foreign countries for a year and has hosted students from over a dozen countries. Each year the Club gives dictionaries to 3rd grade students at Blue Ridge, Mountain View and Susquehanna school districts. The Club was also a founder of the New Milford Student Loan Fund. The Club presents scholarships to two graduating high school students in each of the districts, naming them after distinguished former members: the Dr Park Horton Memorial at Blue Ridge; the Jack Masters Memorial at Mt. View; and this year we chose to make the Blue Ridge scholarships tributes to Agnes Jones and Bob Kerr. The Memorial Monument in New Milford Park was erected to honor all veterans and anyone who has served our country. The cost was $30,000 and all in the form of donations. The Club erected flagpoles in New Milford and Harford. It was also a major contributor to the New Milford swimming pool, and raised money for playground equipment. The Club participates in the Adopt-a-Highway program and is responsible for clearing two miles of Route 11 south of New Milford twice a year. In addition to the above, the Club makes regular donations to local charities including the United Way, the Women’s Resource Center, Bountiful Blessings Easter Dinner, and others. Over the years, it sponsored the Fresh Air Fund Friendly Town Program, which placed children from New York City with area families for two weeks each summer. To fund all these activities we host several fundraisers a year. The nature of these fundraisers has changed over time. For a number of years, the Club ran a pretzel booth at the Harford Fair and sponsored raffles, and sales of roses and Christmas trees. Current revenue sources are a golf tournament and chicken barbecue in the summer; a bake sale in the spring; a park sale flea market in the fall (using a trailer purchased from Kerr Trucking in 1994 to accumulate merchandise); and a weekly 50-50 for members.