NMRC conducts many service projects throughout the year. Here is a sampling of some of the projects we do annually and their descriptions.
Rotary Has Heart
Annual Collection for Food Bank of Delaware. Club Members have a bit of competitive fun in Late January leading up to Valentine’s Day as they gather donations for the Food Bank of Delaware. We collect items at 2-3 regular meetings. Donators are given tickets for items donated. On the last day we pull tickets for fun prizes.
Camp Fairlee Welcome Bags
Welcome Bags, are packed for the summer camp counselors at EasterSeals Camp Fairlee. The counselors come from all parts of the world and have limited items available in their luggage. Shopping is also limited when they arrive at the camp. A list of specific items is provided by Camp Fairlee. Members shop for the items, fill the bags, and deliver to camp before summer counselors arrive.
Food Bank
Highway Cleanup
Preston’s Playground and Newark Reservoir Cleanup
Birthday Boxes
Many times a year, the club puts together birthday boxes. The boxes consist of some snacks and drinks, puzzles, stress relievers, and other personal items. The boxes are given to the Meals on Wheels program where the volunteers give them to the seniors and other homebound people when it is their birthday. The recipients are thrilled when they receive their birthday box. See the cover of our 2023 Report To The Community!
Dictionary Project
Every October, NMR delivers Dictionaries to 3rd grade students throughout Newark. Our members purchase student dictionaries, and personally deliver them to over 40 classrooms. During our visit, we discuss how useful dictionaries can be, and walk students through finding words and reading their definitions (like “Truth”), looking up facts about states, planets and other things of interest, and let them try to pronounce the longest word in the English language. The dictionaries are gifts, and are the students to keep. In many cases, the students tell us the dictionary is the first book that they ever personally owned!
Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Every holiday season, NMR rings the bell for the Salvation Army. Typically, we ring the bell for three evenings in front of the local Boscov’s store. Up to 18 Rotarians participate and enjoy spreading the holiday cheer while helping a great cause.
World’s Greatest Meal
Worldwide Polio eradication is a Rotary International objective. Our Club hosts a FUN, Happy Hour and not-so-silent auction one evening in late October of each year. Our goals are to generate funds and engage members, friends and prospective members.
All Clubs are encouraged to have an annual ‘World’s Greatest Meal’ in October to generate funds to support this important objective.
Wreaths Across America
Every year in December there is a national Wreaths Across America Day, where more than two million volunteers and supporters gather to Remember, Honor and Teach at more than 4,600 participating locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad. The Newark Morning Rotary Club participates at the Wreaths Across America Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bear, DE.
Volunteers are needed to distribute the wreaths to the gravesites and again in January to help remove the wreaths. In December of 2024, our first year participating, there were 8,600 wreaths placed on our Delaware veteran’s gravesites (out of approximately 21,000). This event could benefit from ~10-20 Rotarians volunteering for the event.
Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA)
Sponsored by the 40 Rotary Clubs of the Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Academy (RYLA) is a leadership program where students from our Rotaract Clubs at Newark Charter and Aspira Academy are selected to participate in a weekend leadership training program usually held in Ocean City, MD over Presidents Day weekend. RYLA is an opportunity for 11th (and some 10th and 12th) grade students to discover a world outside the classroom through an intensive leadership experience that builds communication skills, teaches creative problem-solving, and challenges you to change not only yourself but the world.
The purpose of RYLA is to help build the next generation of community and world leaders. Specific RYLA goals are:
- Increase awareness of critical social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues
- Enhance leadership skills and develop a lifelong commitment to community service
- Develop and refine effective communication and team building skills
- Meet and make a network of new friends from different social and cultural backgrounds – HAVE FUN!
The program gives participants a chance to meet new friends, have fun and above all how to improve their leadership skills. The club usually provides up to 4 scholarships. This is a Districtwide project.
Project C.U.R.E
Since 1987, Project CURE has been delivering life-saving medical supplies to hospitals and clinics throughout the under-resourced world. They are the largest distributor of donated medical relief. Volunteers are needed to sort and pack donated medical supplies from bandages to hospital beds. Medical experience is not needed. Volunteers will be directed by Project CURE staff on how to pack items. Because located in large warehouse, volunteers should wear sneakers.
