Congratulations to president Heather Johnston on your installation. Thank you to current past president Mark Vital on a wonderful 2022-2023 year.

President Heather gave a wonderful speech regarding how she plans to work towards this years theme “Create Hope in the World”

“My name is Heather. I am honored to be your Marlboro Rotary Club President for the next year. My own personal themes for this year are twofold.

1. Embrace your fellow club members. We are all-inclusive and non-judgmental. We are all brothers and sisters in a common cause. Please understand what Rotary means locally, district-wise, nationally, and internationally. We can’t solve all of the world’s problems ourselves, but we can do our part. We are a stronger group as we work together as a whole.

Please do what you are able, in order to help us achieve our goals, as we understand you all have other commitments. Our goals are not new. The “Service Above Self” motto was established by Rotary founder Paul Harris in 1905. As Rotarians, we all own that motto. We OWN it.

While individual club goals may change from year to year, our focus never changes. We are a team helping people in our communities, as well as in the worldly order.

2. We need to have fun as we embark on our mission. We need to be able to bond with our fellow members. There are several opportunities to do so. Whether fundraising or fellowship, everyone has fun. Everyone smiles.

Here are some examples I would like to share with you…

Elaine and Doug had a spectacular holiday party in January. Past President, Mark had fellowship events at the Tackle Box and Lost Shoe. Food basket deliveries chaired by Lynn Faust in November and February had great club attendance. And, as always, for a meaningful, decades-old project for our own club – the Turkey Shoot. Don’t get me started…to see what Peg Sheldon and her diverse committee accomplish year after year leaves me speechless. Peg Thorsen and her Reality Fair, Elaine and Recycling Days, Sem and Italian Night. New member Julie ran a Mini-Gold Tournament in April. Again… lots of fun. Peter Mongeau chaired a Fellowship Bowling Night in March. Lots of Fun.

New member Sebastian will chair a regular Golf Classic in September. Proceeds will go to our new proposed Women’s Homeless Shelter in Marlboro.
New Member Lindsay ran a youth sporting event in June that encouraged the spirit of healthy competition amongst our youth.

So hear me now! We work hard but we smile at every gathering. We have fun. This is the glue to our club. This has always been what we have done for 100 years. We must continue to bond to ensure our future. As we look forward there are challenges. In life, there always are. Rotary is no different. Membership is always near the top. I congratulate past president Mark for boosting our membership in a way that has not been seen in years.

I encourage you all to continue working with Mark to bring in new members going forward.

And… our recent new members have incredible qualities and dedication. I’d like every member of the club to find one new member to join us moving forward. All you need to do is ask. More members mean more fundraising potential, which translates directly into more help we can provide for services to our community – locally and even internationally.

I look forward to working with our membership in order to attain our goals. Please do not sit on the sidelines. We are not a lunch club. We have fun at lunch, but it’s not where we do our real work. I invite everyone to come to board meetings, of course, with an rsvp. That’s where decisions are implemented.
I want to thank our membership for inspiring me, and in some cases, mentoring me as we move forward.

My name is Heather! and I am honored to be your Marlboro Rotary Club President for 2023-2024. Thank you!

I wish you all a happy and healthy Fourth of July. Our next meeting will be July 13th.” President Heather Johnston