Dear Rotarians and friends,
It was such a pleasure to enjoy a Thanksgiving celebration of our Rotary friendships with so many of you on Thursday.We heard many touching stories, and here are a few that will stick with me:
 | John Young talked about writing the bulletin out by hand each week and having it mimeographed and sent in hard copy to members. What I enjoyed the most was him talking about his many years of taking students to Camp Neidig, with Dan Yocum being among them. John talked about all of us as being part of his family and imagining him watching over the mayor of Souderton over many years is priceless. |
 | Sam Varano was thankful for the strong partnership between STRC and the Souderton Area High School and shared a story about being encouraged by our late friend, Al Engel, to restart the Interact program. The program is a wildly successful service organization under the leadership of Rotarian Karla Myers and the advisors, Jennifer Detwiler and Alison Kircher. |
 | Jessmy Trochez shared a message of love for STRC friends in the room, as well as those who are no longer with us. We have lost several great men over the past few years but feel their presence in the legacy they shared. |
 | Suzi Berry talked about how Rotarians do not quit. We overcome obstacles and continue to serve the community and the world. She was thankful for the opportunity to serve Area 6 for 3 years as the Assistant Governor and is thankful to be back home with STRC. (L to R: Ann Marie and John Heidgerd with Suzi) |
 | Steve Hunsburger shared his appreciation for three amazing members of the Club who he brought together, Sarah Bergin, Karla Myers and Suzi Berry, who have formed beautiful friendships with each other and so many others while they have poured so much into our organization. He also talked about adoption proceedings for his daughter, Lily, ramping up while he was President, how beautiful that our Rotary family could share that with him. |
 | Dan Yocum closed the loop on John Young’s opening comments as he talked about how impactful Rotary has been on his life from Camp Neidig with John to his first job at Univest and being mentored by Leon, his next job at Moyer Indoor Outdoor with Dave Washam, to the homes he has owned, his most recent thanks to help from Jay Glickman. It truly felt like he was being watched over by family. |
- Jim Leary told stories about friends in the community that we will never know. Those are the many people that were helped by the Police benevolent fund that enabled quick action when members of the Souderton Police force encountered urgent needs.
- Sarah Bergin wrapped things up by reminding us how wonderful it is to all be together and inviting us to come enjoy each other’s company regularly so we can keep this great organization going.
I hope those of you who were there enjoyed our time together and that if you were not there you can see from this brief summary how valued and appreciated you all are.
Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends!
Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends!
Kate Hoath
President