Christmas Celebrated at Care Home

Santa and Newport Rotary elves visit  care home residents

Rotarians from Newport Rotary, along with family and friends, celebrated an early Christmas with the residents of Croatan Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Newport.  In an afternoon of fun, every resident received a special gift, homemade Christmas cards, and cookies that were passed out by Santa (Steve Blizzard – Newport Rotary President) and his very special elf, Rachel Shortway.  Rotarians then led the residents and staff in singing some best loved Christmas carols.

Santa leads a chorus of Holiday favorites...

Newport Rotary focuses on helping to make life a little better in the Newport by sponsoring events like this Christmas at Croatan Ridge and the annual Newport Halloween Hootenanny, providing dictionaries to Newport third graders, and working on various projects throughout the year that help make Newport a great family community.  Newport Rotary partners with area businesses, area non-profits and civic organization, and Newport residents that help make these endeavors a great success. The gifts for the Croatan Ridge party were, in part, provided by members friends and church family, the Twisted Sisters of the Leon Mann Senior Center and the Onslow County Partnership for Children (CEO Dawn Rochelle is a fellow Rotarian).

2019 Hootenanny a Smashing Success

Read more here about Newport Rotary's signature community project! 

Hootenanny Appreciation Cookout Tuesday

Tuesday, August 20, 2019 from 5pm-7pm. Click here for more information.  

Rotary Jambalaya - August 12

Rotary Jambalaya - August 12, 2019 at 5:30 - Newport Rotary Bldg Newport. Bring guests. Email Rtn. Rick Smith with your guest number at 7889rick@gmail.com. We expect a crowd. Come hungry!   

Boys & Girls Home @ Lake Waccamaw - School Items Needed

For those of you who are putting the school supply bags together for the Boys and Girls Home at Lake Waccamaw - here is the list of items that Mason Smith gave us that the boys in the Rotary Cabin can use:

• socks
• pencils
• pens
• tape
• loose notebook paper
• sports/water bottles
• towels
• shower shoes
• scientific calculators
• spiral notebooks
• Wal-Mart Gift Card (for specific teacher required items)

Please take the filled bags ( or boxes or whatever you use) to Shortway Brewery as soon as possible - Rick & Anita Moreau will pick them up there and get them delivered to the Home. Thanks so much for helping out with this project - if you would like to give just a give card, you can do that also, and we will get that delivered to them. Thanks so much for your generosity. Anita Moreau

Hairston Speaks on Domestic Violence

(l-r) Newport Rotary President Steve
Blizzard, Tova Hairston, and Program
Chair, Rtn Michelle Garcia 

Tova Hairston, Executive Director of the Coastal Women's Shelter in New Bern, was the guest speaker at Newport Rotary on Monday. July 22, 2019. Hairston described the wide scope of domestic violence issues and the various ways that her non-profit organization tries to meet the needs of their client, the domestic violence abuse victim. CWS's counselors are all professional, paid staff who are very dedicated to their mission. After answering some questions from Newport Rotarians, she also highlighted the ways that others can help with the mission, including donating funds and volunteering in their thrift store.

Rotarian Michelle Garcia arranged for the program. 

Rotarians Hear About Compassion International

(l-r) Doug Marshall, Rtn. Michelle Garcia, Stella Marshall,
and Newport Rotary President Steve Blizzard   

Newport Rotary's July 8, 2019 program was presented by Doug and Stella Marshall from The Fellowship in Havelock who spoke about Compassion International.

From their website: Compassion International is a Christian child development organization dedicated to releasing children from poverty. Our ministry to children is twofold: We work through local churches to provide child development programs to deliver children from economic, physical, social and spiritual poverty, enabling them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. And we speak out for children in poverty – informing, motivating and equipping others to become advocates for children.

The similarities in the mission of Compassion and Rotary were so beautifully explained by our speakers. They gave a personal glimpse of how they make time with four children, full time jobs, and busy lives to sponsor three children through Compassion International. It was so moving and inspiring. The impact of our $38 a month on a child somewhere in the world is unbelievably impactful. Compassion International is an amazing and world changing Christ based program. We appreciate this opportunity to learn more about this great opportunity for service. Program Sponsor and website contributor: Rotarian Michelle Garcia.  

Blizzard Assumes the Helm as Club President

2019-20 Club Pres. Steve Blizzard

Pres. Steve Blizzard and the 2019-20 Newport Rotary leadership team was installed at special meeting on Monday, June 26, 2019. Matt Shortway was recognized as President-Elect.

The meeting doubled as the club's final service project of 2018-19 under outgoing Pres. Rick Moreau, an improvement project at the Mann Cemetery in Newport. Click here for the article.

Past District Governor Bevin Wall conducted the installation and remarked on the value of the club to the community, including its member's leadership in civic affairs, their innovation in creating and sustaining of many signature town events such as the Newport Pig Cooking Contest and the Newport Halloween Hootenanny, and their present community project oriented schedule of approximately one project per month. Newport Rotary is looked on by others, including other Rotary clubs, as a "club that gets things done". The future is bright if we continue to innovate and do!

Pres. Blizzard joined Rotary in 2009 and was previously club president in 2011-2012. His wife, Tammy is also an active member of the club. Their daughter, Grace, is on a Rotary Youth Exchange this Summer.        

Cemetery Improvement Project Completed

Pres. Rick Moreau leads the project! 

Newport Rotary concluded its 2018-19 Year with a completion and celebration of its cemetery improvement project at the Mann Cemetery in Newport on June 26, 2019, with the event doubling as the installation of officers for 2019-20. Improvements include installed concrete benches, a flagpole, and flower plantings. Newport Rotary coordinated the improvements with the Town. This was the last project in Pres. Rick Moreau's tenure as President. Rotarian Rick Smith was the project coordinator.  Click here for photos of the project. 

Newport Rotary Hosts Carteret Warriors for Recovery

Newport Rotary welcomed the Carteret Warriors for Recovery (CW4R) as their program guests during the club's regular meeting on May 13, 2019 at the Newport Rotary Building. Marian Tucker and Brenda Rocci of the CW4R detailed the origins and purpose of the organization and the ways that Rotarians could continue to assist them.

Newport Rotary's PE Steve Blizzard
with the CW4R's Tucker & Rocci 

CW4R's efforts  arose in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence's devastation to Carteret County in September 2018. They initially came together as volunteers to network the influx of all types of recovery supplies to persons in need. They continue now, seven months after the storm, with post-storm recovery efforts for families, mainly in the areas of replacement housewares and furniture needs from their donated warehouse space in Morehead City. Visit their website www.cw4r.org to donate or volunteer.  

Newport Rotary's Rick Smith introduced the pair and lauded their efforts and effectiveness in meeting the needs of those impacted by the storm. 

Tammy Blizzard Recognized with Paul Harris Fellow

Tammy Blizzard presented her  PHF
pin by her husband, PE Steve Blizzard

Newport Rotary's Tammy Blizzard was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) by The Rotary Foundation during the club's regular meeting on May 13, 2019. The award was presented by Club President Rick Moreau. The PHF pin was presented by Tammy's husband, Club President-Elect Steve Blizzard.

A PHF recognizes cumulative giving to the Foundation by or on behalf of the recipient of $1,000. This is usually the result of both their annual gift as a club member and additional funds they may elect to donate 

Every Newport Rotary member is a sustaining member of The Rotary Foundation and the club is consistently in the top five in the district in per capita giving. Tammy joins the following Newport Rotarians as PHF's: Steve Blizzard, Joe Garner, Larry Howard, Anita Moreau, Rick Moreau, Amos Parker, Bevin Wall and Pam Wall. All members are encouraged to actively support the Foundation. Congratulations Tammy! 

Photo Gallery: Newport Rotary Completes Autism Center Project

Newport Rotary's big project for the 2018-19 Rotary Year is to provide needed improvements to the Autism Center in Newport (Our partner: The Autism Society of NC). The project included new shelving and cubbies for the students, cabinets in the bathrooms, and sprucing up the grounds inside and out!

The project is one of our biggest ever. Halloween Hootenanny proceeds were matched with a $1,250 District  Grant from our Rotary Foundation to make the project a reality!

Click here for our photo gallery from the project completion on May 5, 2019! 

Newport Rotary Again an Elite District Governor Award Winning Club

Congratulations to the District Governor Award Winners!

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

By Lin Kelly 

The winners of the District Governor Award were announced at the District Conference.  Congratulations to the Clubs that achieved this goal!

Fayetteville Rotary Club

Jacksonville Rotary Club

Leland Area Rotary Club

New River Rotary Club

Newport Rotary Club

South Brunswick Islands Rotary Club

Southport Rotary club

Whiteville Rotary Club

Wilmington Rotary Club

Wilmington Cape Fear Rotary Club

Wilmington West Rotary Club

Job Well Done!

Newport Rotarians visit Lake Waccamaw Home

(l-r) District Governor Elect Doug Wolfe,
PDG John Scibal, PDG Dave Baggett,
Newport Rotary President Rick Moreau
meet at B&GHNC 

Newport Rotary President Rick Moreau, accompanied by Past-President Anita Moreau, visited The Rotary Cottage at The Boys and Girls Home at Lake Waccamaw on the weekend of March 30, 2019. They delivered donations for the Thrift Store and other items to the campus.

See their pictures here.

Thanks for representing us at B&GHNC!