Rotarily Yours - January 12, 2026 (Jan. 12, 2026)

Becky Robbins
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)

Jan 19, 2026

Martin Luther King Jr Holiday

No Noon Meeting

Jan 26, 2026

Megan Hageney

Economic Recovery Corps Fellow with Southern Tier West

Feb 02, 2026

Club Service- Birthday Table -Committee Mtgs Etc.

Feb 09, 2026

History of Moon Brook Country Club

Feb 16, 2026

Lindsay VandeVelde

Exec. Director, Community Inclusion, Inc.

View entire list

Make Up Opportunities

AM CLUB — Meets at 7:30 am on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month on Zoom or in person at Northwest Arena

FALCONER — Meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 7 AM at the Falconer Fire Department Exempt Hall located at 1 Coleson Drive Falconer NY, 14733.

WESTFIELD / MAYVILLE — Currently meeting on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 5pm via ZOOM. Contact Janese Berkhouse at 716-397-8801 for Zoom details.

FREDONIA/DUNKIRK —

Meet Thursdays at 12:00 PM - Zoom Teleconference Meetings - Effective until further notice - Fredonia, NY 14063

Committee meetings or social events can also be used as make-ups.

Rotarily Yours - January 12, 2026

President Michelle Jones called the meeting to order on an overcast, but snow-flurry-free day at the DoubleTree Hilton, with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Caitlin O’Reilly led the Star-Spangled Banner and

Becky Robbins delivered the invocation.

Caitlin introduced Max Eimiller’s guest, Dominick Zangaro. Dominick looked familiar and he mentioned to several of us before the meeting that, without his glasses, people mistake him for Josh Allen!

The 50/50 was handled by Dewey Jones. The winner of around $40 was our own exchange student, Jan Steinmann!

In announcements, Michelle invited members to attend board meetings of RCJCSF Inc. and the Rotary board to learn how Rotary operates its business. She also invited people to attend a Vision Committee meeting. The meeting schedules are in the program.

Doug Conroe, as Sargent at Arms, recognized Dave Painter and Amy Rohler for the Electric Union’s $12,000 contribution to the United Way. A few questions about the Rotary magazine were asked, followed by Happy Bucks.

Michelle Jones paid for the Bills’ win, along with Max Eimiller.

Misty Allen said that the local Scouts in the Allegheny Council was #3 in the entire Country for one category.

Dave Painter said that has been purchasing Ahlstrom Schaeffer from his partner and made the last payment today.

Vince Horrigan announced that his daughter is getting married. She took her fiancé to the Jacksonville/Bills game and it seemed that Vince took a family folding table and broke it in half at the tailgating, if we understood him correctly!

Matt Clark announced the DoubleTree Hotel raised $1,300 for Toys for Tots.

Diana Meckley said her husband had his knee replaced and is doing well.

Chris Anderson said that Jan is going to Algonquin, the winter outing for Rotary exchange students and he needs to borrow 8.5 size winter boots, a sleeping bag and snowshoes. Contact Chris with anything that can be lent to Jan.

Also, Jan has Martin Luther King week off from school and could use activities to do if anyone can entertain him. It will be Regents week, and Jan does not take those tests.

Jen Swan-Leuze said that she has two big family events. Her youngest daughter is headed to Ireland for foreign study soon. Her middle child is now a Physician’s Assistant and just got hired in Rochester.

Patrick Stokes - Volunteer Work in Ukraine

Michelle next introduced Dan Heitzenrater, who presented our speaker, Patrick Stokes, who came to discuss his extensive volunteer work in Ukraine.

Patrick shared firsthand experiences from his time in Ukraine, where he served both as a volunteer and as Director of Operations for a non-governmental organization. Over the past 18 months, he spent a total of eight months living in Ukraine, documenting his work and daily life through more than 7,000 photographs. His photographic work is on display at the Darwin Barker Library in Fredonia, where it can be viewed through the end of January, when it moves to Buffalo.

Patrick worked with a Scottish-based NGO, Hopefull Charities, that has provided humanitarian and moral support in every city and village of Ukraine, beginning in March 2022. His first group delivered pizza to citizens in Ukraine; he showed a short video of that experience. They gave away three million pizzas in three years. Patrick wore a Ukraine-colors Scottish kilt.

He said the Ukrainians are tired, but defiant and will never quit. Their fighters are called “defenders,” not soldiers. Their frontline vehicles are their personal vehicles, painted green. Many families are divided, with members on both sides of the conflict.

He spoke about visiting an orphanage with 280 orphans, mentioning one boy whose father was shot in his front yard and his missing mother. He mentioned a defender they met who stayed with their group while on his ten-day break from the fighting. They kept in touch until he went missing in action in the war.

He said when they volunteered and needed extra help, the Ukrainians they were helping would step up to assist the teams.

Patrick hopes to return in the spring or summer. In Fredonia, he runs a photography business, an antique military business, is a business consultant, and rents his home when he is in Ukraine. He “makes it work.” He said he lives simply here so he can go out and see more of the world and its people.

Following Patrick’s presentation, Michelle closed the meeting and noted that we won’t meet next Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. See you on January 26^th!