In a one-hour morning meeting, the Farmingdale Breakfast Rotary members donated more than $200 to Operation Phone Home sponsored by the Farmingdale Post Office. Operation Phone Home is a campaign designed to provide international calling cards to servicemen and women.

The program designates 100 percent of monetary donations to the purchase and distribution of 100-minute global calling cards to deployed members. A $10 donation will provide one phone card to a member of our troops. Postmaster Paul Bauccio and Customer Service Supervisor, Lisa Mancini explained that the Farmingdale Post Office, proud sponsor of the program in our community, will not only collect the donations for the phone cards but may be able to target a donation to a loved one with the name and location of the service member. The Post Office mails all calling cards to an APO box in California and from there they are mailed to our troops in Iraq.

"The phone cards may be bought in several denominations of $10, $20, $50 at any time at the Farmingdale Post Office," said Postmaster Bauccio. "It's a wonderful Support Our Troops program from the home front. It means so much to our service members to be able to hear the voices of their loved ones at home."

Rotarians have long been known to participate in community efforts such as Operation Phone Home. On Wednesday, Feb. 23, Rotary marked its 100th anniversary - a progression from a small service club in Chicago to a worldwide force for good. That evening, a celebration complete with birthday cake and Rotary balloons took place at the Farmingdale Public Library. Nassau/Queens District Governor Larry Jorgensen and Rotarians from Farmingdale Breakfast and Lunch Rotary gathered round the Rotary float to read books centered on the theme of 100 to children. "Literacy is just one of this year's Rotary projects and what a perfect way to celebrate this milestone by reading to children," said the district governor..

In its early stages, Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve their communities in need. In Farmingdale, the two Rotary clubs have contributed greatly to residents in need. Monetary donations through fundraisers provide student scholarships, holiday-time food baskets for needy families and stock shelves for the many Outreach food kitchens for the hungry. County-wide the two Rotary memberships donate generously their time and money to programs such as Rotacare, free health care to those who have the most need, and The Salvation Army Red Kettle drive. This year alone, the Farmingdale Rotary Clubs raised more than $6,500 for the Salvation Army and all proceeds are directed to Nassau County residents in need. Globally, both clubs have been Gift of Life sponsors of children who have come to the US from underpriviledged countries to obtain life-saving heart surgery.

During this centennial year, Rotary District 7250 has established a Haiti & Cayman Island relief effort whereby food and clothing have been donated to the hurricane ravaged islands of Central America. A Tsunami Orphanage Project is currently underway in hopes to rebuild an orphanage in Bali-Seminyak, Indonesia.

The celebrations continue as Rotary District 7250 prepares for its annual conference to be held at the Nevele Grande Resort in Ellenville, NY on May 13-15. The Centennial Convention, the greatest celebration in Rotary's history, will be held on June 18-22, 2005 in downtown Chicago where Rotary was born. Among the festivities planned will be a Rotary parade through downtown Chicago.