The Rotary Club of Madison has long been known for its volunteer service and charity. Now, as of July 1, the Madison Rotary has a 501c3 status to go with its reputation.
The Rotary Club of Madison, a social welfare service organization, has been serving local and global communities since 1923. Also over the past 33 years, the Rotary Club of Madison Foundation has successfully carried out humanitarian projects, such as End Hunger 3.6, to help fight food insecurity locally. The two entities have merged after a year-long unification process to streamline governance, administrative and financial development operations.
“Madison Rotarians have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects and have raised and given away more than $2 million to worthy causes, including scholarships to Madison students” - Rotary President Tayfun Selen
Liz Parker of Harding Township, executive editor and co-publisher of this newspaper, and Joe Smith of Morris Township finished their 2019-20 terms with distinction as Board President of the Club and Foundation, respectively.
Morris County Freeholder Tayfun Selen of Chatham Township was inducted on June 25 as President for 2020 – 21 of the newly merged organization. The Madison Rotary’s leadership team this year also include President-Elect Carol Martorana of Madison, Vice President Doug Willis of Madison, Treasurer Dave Farrell of Florham Park, Secretaries Barry Kroll of Madison and Tanya Van Order of Morris Township, Immediate Past President Liz Parker, and Board Members Joe Smith, Ed Kalinka of Florham Park, John Hogan of Madison, Amul Modhera of Morris Township, Pat Rowe of Madison, Jeff Kraft of New Providence, and Jeff Andrew of Basking Ridge.
Founded in 1905, Rotary is the world’s most prominent global humanitarian organization, with 1.2 million members focusing on local and global initiatives, such as fighting diseases, promoting peace, growing the local economy, and supporting youth and education.
Outgoing club president Liz Parker remarked that for 95 years, “Madison Rotarians have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects and have raised and given away more than $2 million to worthy causes, including scholarships to Madison students.”
New Rotary President Selen added, “As a 501 (c)(3) charity, the Madison Rotary is now better positioned to engage community partners and attract donors, so we can make much bigger impacts in meeting the ever-increasing needs of our community.
“This is an exciting time for the Madison Rotary as we work together to help our community during these challenging times and meet our commitments to help our long standing partner organizations,” Selen observed. “We invite business professionals and community leaders who are interested in making a positive difference to join us. Please visit madisonrotarynj.org for more information.”
This article originally appeared in the Madison Eagle on July 13, 2020.