Rotarians Cross State Lines

Bill Picerella (right) President of the Brewster Rotary welcomes Danbury Rotary President James Gargan to a joint meeting of the two chapters—the first of its kind. The motto of Rotary is “service above self!”

While Rotarians meet across Putnam County during weekly sessions in Brewster, Carmel, Mahopac, Patterson, and Putnam Valley, there had never been a meeting involving Rotary chapters across state lines.

That was before Brewster’s past two-time president Paul Fucito and the current president of the Danbury Rotary Club James Gargan—friends for over 30 years—got together for a recent dinner date.

The two men decided to broach their clubs about organizing a joint meeting—something that had never been done before.

Brewster’s Rotary was chartered in 1945 while the Danbury Club received its charter in 1926.

Fucito told the COURIER that, while separated by a “state line and different charters, our goals are the same. We have been like two ships passing in the night, and decided after 65 years of serving both our local as well as our world community, the time had come to meet each other face-to-face.”

Brewster Rotarian Bill Picerella, who is serving his second term as president, presided over the meeting last week in Southeast.

Fucito recalled: “Once we all entered the dining hall, the feeling was electrifying. Members from both clubs greeted each other and were drawn into conversation. Rather than polarizing towards each other, Brewster Rotarians found themselves conversing with their neighbors to the east.”

Members quickly realized that both clubs were deeply involved with a variety of humanitarian efforts, from helping those in earthquake ravaged Haiti through the Rotary Shelter Box program, to assisting local school children with the Rotary’s dictionary project.

Fucito said Rotary’s promise of success in “service above self and the brotherhood of Rotary” was evident at the joint meeting.

The members decided not to wait another 65 years to get together again and are planning a second reunion within the next few months.